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Palta Ş, Özel HB, Kanbur S, de Souza TAF. Impact of wildfire on soil characteristics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:681. [PMID: 38954029 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12779-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
This study explored whether wildfire alters the soil properties and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community composition when compared with burnt rangeland, non-burnt rangeland and adjacent tilled in mesothermal ecosystems. The study was carried out in August 2020, 1 year later after wildfire. The results of this study showed that the wildfire played a key role in altering soil characteristics and AMF community composition in Bartin Province located in the Western Black Sea Region. Soil samples were made according to standard methods. AMF spores were isolated according to the wet sieving method, and the spores of AMF were identified according to their morphological characteristics. Analysis of variance was performed to determine the differences between the parameters, and correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationships between the parameters. The highest values of soil organic carbon (2.20%), total nitrogen (0.18%), K2O (74.68 kg/da), root colonization (87.5%) and the frequency of occurrence of Funneliformis geosporum (20%), Claroideoglomus claroideum (16%) and Claroideoglomus etunicatum (11%) were found in burnt rangeland. Sporulation of Acaulospora dilatata, Acaulospora morrowiae, Acaulospora tuberculata, Scutellospora castanea, Scutellospora coralloidea, Scutellospora scutata, Glomus coremioides and Glomus multicaule was either decreased or completely inhibited in the burnt rangeland. While species diversity of AMF (12) decreased, the number of AMF spores (325.6 (number/50 gr soil)) increased in burnt areas. In conclusion, the number of spores and root colonization of AMF increased but species diversity of AMF reduced after the wildfire. In ecosystems with high fire risk where AMF transfer is planned, it is suggested that it would be more appropriate to select species with an increase in spore number after fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Şahin Palta
- Division of Watershed Management, Subdivision of Range Management, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Bartın University, 74100, Bartın, Turkey.
| | - Halil Barış Özel
- Division of Watershed Management, Subdivision of Range Management, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Bartın University, 74100, Bartın, Turkey
| | - Sinem Kanbur
- Department of Forestry Engineering, Graduate School, Bartın University, 74100, Bartın, Turkey
| | - Tancredo Augusto Feitosa de Souza
- Agrarian Science Centre, Department of Soils and Rural Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, 58397-000, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
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Bowen JC, Hoyt AM, Xu X, Nuriman M, Anshari GZ, Wahyudio PJ, Aluwihare LI. Aquatic processing enhances the loss of aged carbon from drained and burned peatlands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17394. [PMID: 38988095 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Water-logged peatlands store tremendous amounts of soil carbon (C) globally, accumulating C over millennia. As peatlands become disturbed by human activity, these long-term C stores are getting destabilized and ultimately released as greenhouse gases that may exacerbate climate change. Oxidation of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) mobilized from disturbed soils to streams and canals may be one avenue for the transfer of previously stored, millennia-aged C to the atmosphere. However, it remains unknown whether aged peat-derived DOC undergoes oxidation to carbon dioxide (CO2) following disturbance. Here, we use a new approach to measure the radiocarbon content of CO2 produced from the oxidation of DOC in canals overlying peatland soils that have undergone widespread disturbance in Indonesia. This work shows for the first time that aged DOC mobilized from drained and burned peatland soils is susceptible to oxidation by both microbial respiration and photomineralization over aquatic travel times for DOC. The bulk radiocarbon age of CO2 produced during canal oxidation ranged from modern to ~1300 years before present. These ages for CO2 were most strongly influenced by canal water depth, which was proportional to the water table level where DOC is mobilized from disturbed soils to canals. Canal microbes preferentially respired older or younger organic C pools to CO2, and this may have been facilitated by the use of a small particulate organic C pool over the dissolved pool. Given that high densities of canals are generally associated with lower water tables and higher fire risk, our findings suggest that peatland areas with high canal density may be a hotspot for the loss of aged C on the landscape. Taken together, the results of this study show how and why aquatic processing of organic C on the landscape can enhance the transfer of long-term peat C stores to the atmosphere following disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C Bowen
- Geosciences Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Alison M Hoyt
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Xiaomei Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Muhammad Nuriman
- Department of Soil Science, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
| | - Gusti Z Anshari
- Department of Soil Science, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
- Magister of Environmental Science, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
| | | | - Lihini I Aluwihare
- Geosciences Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Huang X, Wang K, Wen X, Liu J, Zhang Y, Rong J, Nie M, Fu C, Zheng B, Yuan Z, Gong L, Zhan H, Shen R. Flooding duration affects the temperature sensitivity of soil extracellular enzyme activities in a lakeshore wetland in Poyang Lake, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 874:162397. [PMID: 36848996 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular enzymes play central roles in the biogeochemical cycles in wetland ecosystems. Their activities are strongly impacted by hydrothermal conditions. Under the ongoing global change, many studies reported the individual effects of flooding and warming on extracellular enzyme activities, however, few researches investigated their interactive effects. Therefore, the current study aims to determine the responses of extracellular enzyme activities to warming in wetland soils under divergent flooding regimes. We investigated the temperature sensitivity of seven extracellular enzymes related to carbon (α-glucosidase, AG; β-glucosidase, BG; cellobiohydrolase, CBH; β-xylosidase, XYL), nitrogen (β-N-acetyl -glucosaminidase, NAG; leucine aminopeptidase, LAP), and phosphorus (Phosphatase, PHOS) cycling along the flooding duration gradient in a lakeshore wetland of Poyang Lake, China. The Q10 value, calculated using a temperature gradient (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C), was adopted to represent the temperature sensitivity. The average Q10 values of AG, BG, CBH, XYL, NAG, LAP, and PHOS in the lakeshore wetland were 2.75 ± 0.76, 2.91 ± 0.69, 3.34 ± 0.75, 3.01 ± 0.69, 3.02 ± 1.11, 2.21 ± 0.39, and 3.33 ± 0.72, respectively. The Q10 values of all the seven soil extracellular enzymes significantly and positively correlated with flooding duration. The Q10 values of NAG, AG and BG were more sensitive to the changes in flooding duration than other enzymes. The Q10 values of the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus-related enzymes were mainly determined by flooding duration, pH, clay, and substrate quality. Flooding duration was the most dominant driver for the Q10 of BG, XYL, NAG, LAP, and PHOS. In contrast, the Q10 values of AG and CBH were primarily affected by pH and clay content, respectively. This study indicated that flooding regime was a key factor regulating soil biogeochemical processes of wetland ecosystems under global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyun Huang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Xiaoliang Research Station of Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, and the CAS engineering Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Island and Coastal Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, PR China
| | - Kexin Wang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Xiuting Wen
- Jiangxi Institute of Ecological Civilization, School of Resources & Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Jie Liu
- Jiangxi Institute of Ecological Civilization, School of Resources & Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, PR China
| | - Jun Rong
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Ming Nie
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, PR China
| | - Chun Fu
- School of Public Policy and Administration, School of Infrastructure Engineering, Jiangxi Regional Economic Research Institute, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Bofu Zheng
- Jiangxi Institute of Ecological Civilization, School of Resources & Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Zhifen Yuan
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China
| | - Leiqiang Gong
- Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Authority, Nanchang 330038, PR China
| | - Huiying Zhan
- Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Authority, Nanchang 330038, PR China
| | - Ruichang Shen
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland Conservation and Restoration National Permanent Scientific Research Base, National Ecosystem Research Station of Jiangxi Poyang Lake Wetland, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China.
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Li G, Sun L, Wang J, Dou X, Ji S, Hu T, Gao C. Effects of pyrogenic carbon addition after fire on soil carbon mineralization in the Great Khingan Mountains peatlands (Northeast China). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 864:161102. [PMID: 36566854 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires play a critical role in regulating soil carbon (C) budgets in peatland ecosystems, and their frequency and intensity are increasing owing to climate change and human activities. Wildfires not only emit CO2 during the combustion process but also produce pyrogenic carbon (PyC), which accumulates in the soil C pool and influences soil C decomposition. However, the role of PyC after a fire in peatland soil C mineralization has rarely been examined. This study investigated the effects of PyC addition on peatland soil C mineralization and its potential driving mechanisms using an anaerobic/aerobic incubation experiment with peat soils collected from typical peatlands in the Great Khingan Mountains, Northeast China. The effect of PyC was more pronounced under aerobic conditions than under anaerobic conditions. The mean C- mineralization rates of soil were significantly increased by 45.2 ± 15.5 % and 87.6 ± 14.3 % with 10 % PyC250°C addition after the initial stage (D7) of aerobic and anaerobic incubation, but PyC600°C addition caused a to decrease. Compared with PyC600°C, PyC250°C addition significantly increased the available N content and altered the soil microbial activities, which may be the primary reason for the increase in C mineralization rates. Furthermore, adding a high concentration of PyC (10 %) reduced the concentration of phenolics but increased phenol oxidase activity, which promoted C mineralization rates. Thus, PyC250°C addition to peat soils mainly influences the microbial biomass C content through the accumulation of available N and phenolics, which ultimately positively affects C mineralization rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangxin Li
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin 150040, China; Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, 130102 Changchun, China
| | - Long Sun
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Jianyu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Xu Dou
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Shengzhen Ji
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, 130102 Changchun, China
| | - Tongxin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin 150040, China.
| | - Chuanyu Gao
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, 130102 Changchun, China.
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Kelly R, Montgomery WI, Reid N. Initial ecological change in plant and arthropod community composition after wildfires in designated areas of upland peatlands. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9771. [PMID: 36789349 PMCID: PMC9919495 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Wildfires are an increasing concern due to rising temperatures and incidence of droughts associated with changing climate, poor land management, and direct human interference. Most studies of the impact of fire on temperate heathland and bog examined the consequences of controlled or prescribed burning. Less is known about the impacts of uncontrolled wildfires on sites designated for their conservation value. We examined the initial impact and short-term trajectory (3.5 years) of cool temperate peatland plant and arthropod communities on designated upland sites in Northern Ireland following wildfires, that is, unplanned with respect to where and when they occur, severity, and duration. These near simultaneous wildfires were often due to a failure to control prescribed burns. Wildfires were associated with a loss of blanket bog and heath indicator species. Broad vegetation groups showed initial recovery characterized by a decrease in bare ground and increasing cover of shrub species and bryophytes. However, at a species level, Sphagnum spp and bryophyte communities, which are central to peatland ecosystem functioning, showed no sign of recovery to prefire composition. Rather, bryophyte communities became more divergent over the course of the study and were mainly characterized by increased abundance of the alien pioneer acrocarp Campylopus introflexus. Similarly, composition of arthropod communities (ground beetles and spiders) differed between burnt and unburnt areas and showed no evidence of a return to species composition in unburnt areas. The nationally rare beetle Carabus nitens was more common in the aftermath of wildfire. Synthesis. Whilst, long-term recovery was not investigated, these short-term changes suggest enduring detrimental impacts on the distinctive communities associated with peatlands, primarily through the loss of Sphagnum spp., affecting ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water and soil retention. It may not be possible to restore exact prefire species composition of plant and animal communities. We suggest a precautionary approach involving management of upland vegetation, public education, and vigilance, to prevent further wildfires and protect these key upland habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Kelly
- Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS)School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK,Environment and Marine Sciences DivisionAgri‐Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)BelfastUK
| | - W. Ian Montgomery
- Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS)School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
| | - Neil Reid
- Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS)School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
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Davies M, McLaughlin J, Packalen M, Finkelstein S. Using Holocene paleo-fire records to estimate carbon stock vulnerabilities in Hudson Bay Lowlands peatlands. Facets (Ott) 2023. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2022-0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Holocene fire records from charcoal are critical to understand linkages between regional climate and fire regime and to create effective fire management plans. The Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) of Canada is one of the largest continuous peatland complexes in the world and is predicted to be increasingly impacted by wildfire. We present three charcoal records from a bog in the western HBL and demonstrate that median fire frequency was higher in the Middle Holocene, related to warmer regional temperatures and higher evaporative demand. Holocene fire frequencies are lower than in western Canadian peatlands, supporting that the HBL lies in the transition between continental and humid boreal fire regimes. Apparent carbon accumulation rates at the site were not significantly different between the Middle and Late Holocene, suggesting that higher fire frequency and enhanced decomposition offset the potential for higher rates of biomass production. We compile records from the boreal region and demonstrate that increasing fire frequency is significantly correlated with diminishing long-term carbon accumulation rates, despite large variation in response of peatlands to fire frequency changes. Therefore, the paleo-record supports that higher fire frequencies will likely weaken the capacity of some northern peatlands to be net carbon sinks in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.A. Davies
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, 1235 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - J.W. McLaughlin
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, 1235 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - M.S. Packalen
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, 1235 Queen Street E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - S.A. Finkelstein
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada
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Richardson CJ, Flanagan NE, Wang H, Ho M. Annual carbon sequestration and loss rates under altered hydrology and fire regimes in southeastern USA pocosin peatlands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:6370-6384. [PMID: 36054687 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands drained for agriculture or forestry are susceptible to the rapid release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) through enhanced microbial decomposition and increased frequency of deep peat fires. We present evidence that rewetting drained subtropical wooded peatlands (STWPs) along the southeastern USA coast, primarily pocosin bogs, could prevent significant carbon (C) losses. To quantify GHG emissions and storage from drained and rewetted pocosin we used eddy covariance techniques, the first such estimates that have been applied to this major bog type, on a private drained (PD) site supplemented by static chamber measurements at PD and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Net ecosystem exchange measurements showed that the loss was 21.2 Mg CO2 ha-1 year-1 (1 Mg = 106 g) in the drained pocosin. Under a rewetted scenario, where the annual mean water table depth (WTD) decreased from 60 to 30 cm, the C loss was projected to fall to 2 Mg CO2 ha-1 year-1 , a 94% reduction. If the WTD was 20 cm, the peatlands became a net carbon sink (-3.3 Mg CO2 ha-1 year-1 ). Hence, net C reductions could reach 24.5 Mg CO2 ha-1 year-1 , and when scaled up to the 4000 ha PD site nearly 100,000 Mg CO2 year-1 of creditable C could be amassed. We conservatively estimate among the 0.75 million ha of southeastern STWPs, between 450 and 770 km2 could be rewet, reducing annual GHG emissions by 0.96-1.6 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 g) of CO2 , through suppressed microbial decomposition and 1.7-2.8 Tg via fire prevention, respectively. Despite covering <0.01% of US land area, rewetting drained pocosin can potentially provide 2.4% of the annual CO2 nationwide reduction target of 0.18 Pg (1 Pg = 1015 g). Suggesting pocosin restoration can contribute disproportionately to the US goal of achieving net-zero emission by 2050.
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Affiliation(s)
- Curtis J Richardson
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Neal E Flanagan
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hongjun Wang
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Mengchi Ho
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Wetland Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Wu Y, Xu X, McCarter CPR, Zhang N, Ganzoury MA, Waddington JM, de Lannoy CF. Assessing leached TOC, nutrients and phenols from peatland soils after lab-simulated wildfires: Implications to source water protection. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153579. [PMID: 35114220 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pollutant leaching from wildfire-impacted peatland soils (peat) is well-known, but often underestimated when considering boreal ecosystem source water protection and when treating source waters to provide clean drinking water. Burning peat impacts its physical properties and chemical composition, yet the consequences of these transformations to source water quality through pollutant leaching has not been studied in detail. We combusted near-surface boreal peat under simulated peat smoldering conditions at two temperatures (250 °C and 300 °C) and quantified the concentrations of the leached carbon, nutrients and phenols from 5 g peat L-1 reverse osmosis (RO) water suspensions over a 2-day leaching period. For the conditions studied, measured water quality parameters exceeded US surface water guidelines and even exceeded EU and Canadian wastewater/sewer discharge limits including chemical oxygen demand (COD) (125 mg/L), total nitrogen (TN) (15 mg/L), and total phosphorus (TP) (2 mg/L). Phenols were close to or higher than the suggested water supply standard established by US EPA (1 mg/L). Leached carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus mainly came from the organic fraction of peats. Heating peats to 250 °C promoted the leaching of carbon-related pollutants, whereas heating to 300 °C enhanced the leaching of nutrients. Post-heated peats leached higher loads of pollutants in water than pre-heated peats, suggesting that fire-damaged boreal peats may be a critical but underappreciated source of water pollution. A simplified Partial Least Squares (PLS) model based on other easily measured parameters provided a simple method for determining the extent of COD and phenolic pollution in bulk water, relevant for water and wastewater treatment plants. Conclusions from this lab study indicate the need for field measurements of aquatic pollutants downstream of peatland watersheds post-fire as well as increased monitoring and treatment of potable water sources for leachable micropollutants in fire-dominated forested peatlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Xuebin Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Soil Science, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Colin P R McCarter
- School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Nan Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
| | - Mohamed A Ganzoury
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, Canada
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9
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Kirpotin SN, Antoshkina OA, Berezin AE, Elshehawi S, Feurdean A, Lapshina ED, Pokrovsky OS, Peregon AM, Semenova NM, Tanneberger F, Volkov IV, Volkova II, Joosten H. Great Vasyugan Mire: How the world's largest peatland helps addressing the world's largest problems. AMBIO 2021; 50:2038-2049. [PMID: 33677811 PMCID: PMC8497674 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01520-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 12/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands cover 3% of the land, occur in 169 countries, and have-by sequestering 600 Gt of carbon-cooled the global climate by 0.6 °C. After a general review about peatlands worldwide, this paper describes the importance of the Great Vasyugan Mire and presents suggestions about its protection and future research. The World's largest peatland, the Great Vasyugan Mire in West-Siberia, forms the border between the Taiga and the Forest-Steppe biomes and harbours rare species and mire types and globally unique self-organizing patterns. Current oil and gas exploitation may arguably be largely phased out by 2050, which will pave the way for a stronger focus on the mire's role in buffering climate change, maintaining ecosystem diversity, and providing other ecosystem services. Relevant new research lines will benefit from the extensive data sets that earlier studies have gathered for other purposes. Its globally unique character as the 'largest life form on land' qualifies the Great Vasyugan Mire in its entirety to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey N. Kirpotin
- Tuvan State University, 36 Lenina St, Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva 667000 Russian Federation
- Tomsk State University, 36/13 Lenina Pr, Tomsk, 634050 Russian Federation
| | | | | | - Samer Elshehawi
- DUENE e.V, Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, C/O Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Angelica Feurdean
- Department of Physical Geography, Goethe University, Altenhöferallee 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Elena D. Lapshina
- Yugra State University, 16 Chekhov St., Khanty-Mansiysk, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Aria-Yugra 628012 Russian Federation
| | | | - Anna M. Peregon
- Tuvan State University, 36 Lenina St, Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva 667000 Russian Federation
- Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of
Sciences (ISSA SB RAS), 8/2 Prospect Akademika Lavrentyeva, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russian Federation
| | | | - Franziska Tanneberger
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, Soldmannstrasse 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Igor V. Volkov
- Tomsk State Pedagogical University, 60 Kievskaya St., Tomsk, 634061 Russian Federation
| | - Irina I. Volkova
- Tomsk State University, 36/13 Lenina Pr, Tomsk, 634050 Russian Federation
| | - Hans Joosten
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, Soldmannstrasse 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
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10
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Pellegrini AFA, Caprio AC, Georgiou K, Finnegan C, Hobbie SE, Hatten JA, Jackson RB. Low-intensity frequent fires in coniferous forests transform soil organic matter in ways that may offset ecosystem carbon losses. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3810-3823. [PMID: 33884700 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The impact of shifting disturbance regimes on soil carbon (C) storage is a key uncertainty in global change research. Wildfires in coniferous forests are becoming more frequent in many regions, potentially causing large C emissions. Repeated low-intensity prescribed fires can mitigate wildfire severity, but repeated combustion may decrease soil C unless compensatory responses stabilize soil organic matter. Here, we tested how 30 years of decadal prescribed burning affected C and nitrogen (N) in plants, detritus, and soils in coniferous forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains, USA. Tree basal area and litter stocks were resilient to fire, but fire reduced forest floor C by 77% (-36.4 Mg C/ha). In mineral soils, fire reduced C that was free from minerals by 41% (-4.4 Mg C/ha) but not C associated with minerals, and only in depths ≤ 5 cm. Fire also transformed the properties of remaining mineral soil organic matter by increasing the proportion of C in a pyrogenic form (from 3.2% to 7.5%) and associated with minerals (from 46% to 58%), suggesting the remaining soil C is more resistant to decomposition. Laboratory assays illustrated that fire reduced microbial CO2 respiration rates by 55% and the activity of eight extracellular enzymes that degrade cellulosic and aromatic compounds by 40-66%. Lower decomposition was correlated with lower inorganic N (-49%), especially ammonium, suggesting N availability is coupled with decomposition. The relative increase in forms of soil organic matter that are resistant to decay or stabilized onto mineral surfaces, and the associated decline in decomposition suggest that low-intensity fires may promote mineral soil C storage in pools with long mean residence times in coniferous forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam F A Pellegrini
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anthony C Caprio
- United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, CA, USA
| | - Katerina Georgiou
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Colin Finnegan
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sarah E Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jeffery A Hatten
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources & Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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11
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Sun T, Guzman JJL, Seward JD, Enders A, Yavitt JB, Lehmann J, Angenent LT. Suppressing peatland methane production by electron snorkeling through pyrogenic carbon in controlled laboratory incubations. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4119. [PMID: 34226558 PMCID: PMC8257765 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24350-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern peatlands are experiencing more frequent and severe fire events as a result of changing climate conditions. Recent studies show that such a fire-regime change imposes a direct climate-warming impact by emitting large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. However, the fires also convert parts of the burnt biomass into pyrogenic carbon. Here, we show a potential climate-cooling impact induced by fire-derived pyrogenic carbon in laboratory incubations. We found that the accumulation of pyrogenic carbon reduced post-fire methane production from warm (32 °C) incubated peatland soils by 13–24%. The redox-cycling, capacitive, and conductive electron transfer mechanisms in pyrogenic carbon functioned as an electron snorkel, which facilitated extracellular electron transfer and stimulated soil alternative microbial respiration to suppress methane production. Our results highlight an important, but overlooked, function of pyrogenic carbon in neutralizing forest fire emissions and call for its consideration in the global carbon budget estimation. Warmer and drier conditions are increasing the frequency of forest fires, which in turn produce pyrogenic carbon. Here the authors show that accumulation of pyrogenic carbon can suppress post-fire methane production in northern peatlands and can effectively buffer fire-derived greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianran Sun
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Juan J L Guzman
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - James D Seward
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Akio Enders
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Joseph B Yavitt
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Johannes Lehmann
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Largus T Angenent
- Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. .,Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. .,Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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