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Boreal Forest Floor Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across a Pleurozium schreberi-Dominated, Wildfire-Disturbed Chronosequence

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Abstract

The boreal forest is a globally critical biome for carbon cycling. Its forests are shaped by wildfire events that affect ecosystem properties and climate feedbacks including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Improved understanding of boreal forest floor processes is needed to predict the impacts of anticipated increases in fire frequency, severity, and extent. In this study, we examined relationships between time since last wildfire (TSF), forest floor soil properties, and GHG emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) along a Pleurozium schreberi-dominated chronosequence in mid- to late succession located in northern Sweden. Over three growing seasons in 2012–2014, GHG flux measurements were made in situ and samples were collected for laboratory analyses. We predicted that P. schreberi-covered forest floor GHG fluxes would be related to distinct trends in the soil properties and microbial community along the wildfire chronosequence. Although we found no overall effect of TSF on GHG emissions, there was evidence that soil C/N, one of the few properties to show a trend with time, was inversely linked to ecosystem respiration. We also found that local microclimatic conditions and site-dependent properties were better predictors of GHG fluxes than TSF. This shows that site-dependent co-variables (that is, forest floor climate and plant-soil properties) need to be considered as well as TSF to predict GHG emissions as wildfires become more frequent, extensive and severe.

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Data Availability

Data are available at the following DOI: 10.5285/f08a5de5-55d4-44de-90e1-94bb4f814054.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this research was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK. We would like to thank T. N. Walker, P. A. Henrys, and S. G. Jarvis for their guidance in statistical analyses and use of R software, and Matt Clifford for his assistance in the laboratory analyses. Special thanks to the kind staff at the Silvermuseet in Arjeplog for letting us share their space.

Funding

Funding was provided by Natural Environment Research Council (Grant No. NE/I027037/1).

Author information

Author notes

  1. The study was designed by TD, DJ, and NO. Field plots were developed by TD, LS, NO, and SO. Field work was carried out by SO, KM, NO, LS, and MAC. Laboratory analyses were completed by KM and SO. LS performed soil inorganic nitrogen analyses. Statistical analyses were done by KM and NO. The manuscript was drafted by KM, NO, and SO, with all authors contributing to the final manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK

    Kelly E. Mason & Simon Oakley

  2. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Lorna E. Street

  3. Departamento de Química y Tecnología de Alimentos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    María Arróniz-Crespo

  4. School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, UK

    María Arróniz-Crespo & David L. Jones

  5. WA Frank College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, USA

    Thomas H. DeLuca

  6. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Nicholas J. Ostle

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  1. Kelly E. Mason
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Correspondence to Kelly E. Mason.

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Mason, K.E., Oakley, S., Street, L.E. et al. Boreal Forest Floor Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across a Pleurozium schreberi-Dominated, Wildfire-Disturbed Chronosequence. Ecosystems 22, 1381–1392 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00344-2

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