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Effects of Burning on Chaparral Soils: II. Soil Microbes and Nitrogen Mineralization
Author(s) -
Dunn Paul H.,
DeBano Leonard F.,
Eberlein Gary E.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1979.03615995004300030016x
Subject(s) - chaparral , nitrification , mineralization (soil science) , soil water , environmental chemistry , nitrogen , nitrogen cycle , heterotroph , environmental science , chemistry , agronomy , prescribed burn , zoology , botany , ecology , soil science , bacteria , biology , genetics , organic chemistry
Undisturbed moist and dry soil slabs collected from beneath two species of chaparral plants were burned at varying intensities in the laboratory. Treatment by intense burning over dry soil destroyed 67% of the total N and produced large amounts of NH 4 + . Treatment by intense and moderate burning over moist soil slabs removed only 25% of the total N, and a large portion of the remaining organic N was quickly ammonified after the fire by reinvading heterotrophic bacteria and later by fungi. All three burning treatments resulted in high levels of NH 4 + in the soil after the fire. Nitrosomonas group bacteria did not respond to these high levels of available NH 4 + , and the nitrification that occurred was attributed to heterotrophic nitrification.