Spatio-Temporal Variation in Soil Nutrients and Plant Recovery across a Fire-Severity Gradient in Old-Growth <i>Araucaria-Nothofagus</i> Forests of South-Central Chile

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dc.contributor.authorFuentes-Ramirez, Andres
dc.contributor.authorAlmonacid-Munoz, Leonardo
dc.contributor.authorMunoz-Gomez, Nayadeth
dc.contributor.authorMoloney, Kirk A.
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-20T21:10:11Z
dc.date.available2025-01-20T21:10:11Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractForest fires can alter essential ecosystem processes, including soil nutrient cycling, potentially cascading into permanent vegetation changes. This is key to elucidate in ecosystems where fires are infrequent. We assessed the effects of fire severity on the spatio-temporal response of soil nutrients and plant diversity in old-growth forests of south-central Chile, 1, 2, and 3 years after a fire that occurred in 2015. Within ancient, old-growth Araucaria araucana (Mol.) K. Koch and Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. and Endl.) Krasser forests, ranging from areas burned with fire of high severity to unburned forests, we evaluated nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and soil organic matter (SOM) content using spatial interpolation to predict their spatial distribution and assessed their availability over time. We also assessed plant species richness and abundance following the fire. The availability of N noticeably increased during the first year after fire but rapidly decreased in the following years, especially in areas of high fire severity. P, K, and SOM were less affected by the fire, remaining more constant over time. In the short term, plant species richness and diversity significantly decreased in severely burned areas, but over time, they became more similar to those of the unburned forests. The time since a fire and its severity determine a heterogeneous distribution of soil nutrients, with N shifting to a significantly lower availability after fire, which was more notable in areas of high fire severity. Here, vegetation exhibited a decrease in plant diversity and the establishment of exotic species, likely producing cascading effects at the community level.
dc.description.funderApoyo a Postulantes FONDECYT, Direccion de Investigacion Universidad de La Frontera
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/f13030448
dc.identifier.eissn1999-4907
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/f13030448
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/93567
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000775802700001
dc.issue.numero3
dc.language.isoen
dc.revistaForests
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectforest fire
dc.subjectsoil nutrients
dc.subjectspatial interpolation
dc.subjectKriging
dc.subjectplant recovery
dc.subjectforest restoration
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.titleSpatio-Temporal Variation in Soil Nutrients and Plant Recovery across a Fire-Severity Gradient in Old-Growth <i>Araucaria-Nothofagus</i> Forests of South-Central Chile
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen13
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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