Abstract
This study was conducted in Juniperus excelsa stands on the southern slopes of Iran's Alborz Mountains, to determine the effects of fire and seasonal variations on soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities. A total of 64 composite soil samples were randomly collected in the spring and fall from two burned and unburned sites at depths of 0−10 and 10−20 cm. The results of a two-way ANOVA analysis indicate that fire increased the organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (Pava) contents of the soil by 16%, 59%, and 53%, respectively. Similarly, when burned sites were compared to unburned sites, the activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) and urease enzymes increased by 73% and 12%, respectively. Nevertheless, fire did not affect soil texture, bulk density (BD), pH, electric conductivity (EC), exchangeable potassium (Kexc), or the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and dehydrogenase. According to two-way ANOVA results, OC, TN, Pava, Kexc, and EC values were significantly higher in the fall, whereas pH and ALP values were significantly higher in the spring. Additionally, phosphorous and dehydrogenase activity were significantly different in selected soil factors at 0−10 and 10–20 cm depths. The interaction of fire, season, and soil depth were significant for phosphorous and urease. Moreover, the activity of ALP correlated well with pH (r = 0.68), P (r = − 0.74), OC (r = − 0.53), and TN (r = − 0.37), whereas the activity of ACP correlated significantly with OC (r = 0.64) and TN (r = 0.71). Two years after the fire, soil properties in J. excelsa stands had either improved or remained unaffected, returning to pre-fire levels. Additionally, soil chemical properties varied significantly across sampling seasons, which should be considered when comparing and interpreting soil data in future research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Badia D, Marti C (2003) Plant ash and heat intensity effects on chemical and physical properties of two contrasting soils. Arid Land Res Manag 17:23–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/15324980301595
Banj Shafiei A, Akbarinia M, Jalali GH, Alijanpour A (2010) Effect of forest fire on diameter growth of beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.): a case study in Kheyroud forest. Iran J for Pop Res 17:464–474
Bell RL, Binkley D (1989) Soil nitrogen mineralization and immobilization in response to periodic prescribed fire in a loblolly pine plantation. Can J for Res 19:816–820
Bergstrom DW, Monreal CM, King DJ (1998) Sensitivity of soil enzyme activities to conservation practices. Soil Sci Soc Am J 62:1286–1295
Błońska E, Lasota J, Gruba P (2016) Effect of temperate forest tree species on soil dehydrogenase and urease activities in relation to Rother properties of soil derived from loess and glaciofluvial sand. Ecol Res 31(5):655–664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1375-6
Boerner REJ, Brinkman JA, Smith A (2005) Seasonal variations in enzyme activity and organic carbon in soil of a burned and unburned hardwood forest. Soil Biol Biochem 37:1419–1426
Borgogni F, Lavecchia A, Mastrolonardo G, Certini G, Ceccherini MT, Pietramellara G (2019) Immediate- and short-term wildfire impact on soil microbial diversity and activity in a Mediterranean forest soil. Soil Sci 184:35–42
Bremner JM, Mulvaney CS (1982) Nitrogen-total. In: RH Miller RH, DR Keeney DR (eds) Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2, pp 595–624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.12.012
Capra FI, Tidu S, Lovreglio R, Certini G, Salis M, Bacciu V, Ganga A, Filzmoser P (2018) The impact of wildland fires on calcareous Mediterranean pedosystems (Sardinia, Italy) – An integrated multiple approach. Sci Total Environ 624:1152–1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.099
Certini G (2005) Effects of fire on properties of forest soils: A review. Oecologia 143:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1788-8
Certini G, Moya D, Esteban Lucas-Borja M, Mastrolonardo G (2021) The impact of fire on soil-dwelling biota: a review. For Ecol Manag 488:118989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.118989
Covington WW, Sackett SS (1992) Soil mineral nitrogen changes following prescribed burning in ponderosa pine. For Ecol Manag 54:175–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(92)90011-W
Dick WA, Cheng L, Wang P (2000) Soil acid and alkaline phosphatase activity as pH adjustment indicators. Soil Biol Biochem 32:1915–1919. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00166-8
Eskandari S, Khoshnevis M (2020) Evaluating and mapping the fire risk in the forests and rangelands of Sirachal using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and GIS. J For Res Develop (6) 219–245. https://www.sid.ir/fa/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=554495
Fairbanks D, Shepard C, Murphy M, Rasmussen C, Chorover J, Rich V, Gallery R (2020) Depth and topographic controls on microbial activity in a recently burned sub-alpine catchment. Soil Biol Biochem 148: Art. n. 107844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107844
Floch C, Capowiez Y, Criquet S (2009) Enzyme activities in apple orchard agroecosystems: How are they affected by management strategy and soil properties. Soil Biol Biochem 41:61–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.09.018
Fynn RWS, Haynes RJ, O’Connor TG (2003) Burning causes long-term changes in soil organic matter content of a South African grassland. Soil Biol Biochem 35(5):677–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(03)00054-3
Granged AJP, Jordán A, Zavala LM, Muñoz-Rojas M, Mataix-Solera J (2011a) Short-term effects of experimental fire for a soil under eucalyptus forest (SE Australia). Geoderma 167–168:125–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2011.09.011
Granged AJP, Zavala LM, Antonio J, Bárcenas-Moreno G (2011b) Post-fire evolution of soil properties and vegetation cover in a Mediterranean heathland after experimental burning: A 3-year study. Geoderma 164:85–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2011.05.017
Hamman ST, Burke IC, Knapp EE (2008) Soil nutrients and microbial activity after early and late season prescribed burns in a Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forest. Forest Ecol Manag 256:367–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2008.04.030
Hernández T, García C, Reinhardt I (1997) Short-term effect of wildfire on the chemical, biochemical and microbiological properties of Mediterranean pine forest soils. Biol for Soils 25:109–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740050289
Heydari M, Salehi A, Mahdavi A, Adibnejad M (2012) Effects of different fire severity levels on soil chemical and physical properties in Zagros forests of western Iran. Folia for Pol 54:241–250
Heydari M, Rostamy A, Najafi F, Dey DC (2017) Effect of fire severity on physical and biochemical soil properties in Zagros oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) forests in Iran. J For Res 28(1):95–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-016-0299-x
Inbar A, Lado M, Sternberg M, Tenau H, Ben-Hur M (2014) Forest fire effects on soil chemical and physicochemical properties, infiltration, runoff, and erosion in a semiarid Mediterranean region. Geoderma 221–222:131–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.01.015
Janzen H (1993) Soluble salts. In: Carter MR (ed) Soil sampling and methods of analysis. Canadian Society of Soil Science. Lewis Publ, Boca Raton, pp 161–166
Johnson DL, Curtis PS (2001) Effects of forest management on soil C and N storage: meta-analysis. For Ecol Manag 140:227–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00282-6
Kang H, Freeman C (1999) Phosphatase and arylsulfatase activities in wetland soils: annual variation and controlling factors. Soil Biol Biochem 31:449–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(98)00150-3
Kim C, Lee WK, Byun JK, Kim YK, Jeong JH (1999) Short-term effects of fire on soil properties in Pinus densiflora stands. J for Res 4:23–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02760320
Lin B, Zhao X, Zheng Y, Qi S, Liu X (2017) Effect of grazing intensity on protozoan community, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. J Soils Sediments 17:2752–2762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1695-3
Maikornes HP (1993) Eine modifizierte Methode zur Erfassung der Dehydrogenaseaktivitaet (TTC-Reduktion) im Boden nach Herbizidanwendung. Nachr Deutsch Pflanzenschutzd 45:180–185
Mataix-Solera J, Doerr SH (2004) Hydrophobicity and aggregate stability in calcareous topsoils from fire-affected pine forests in southeastern spain. Geoderma 118:77–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7061(03)00185-X
Matinizadeh M, Gudarzi M (2013) Effects of fire on activity of some rangeland soil enzymes. Iran J Range Desert Res 20(1):213–225
Matinizadeh M, Korori SAA, Teimouri M, Praznik W (2008) Enzyme activities in untouched and tampered forest soils under oak (Quercus brantii) phosphorus dynamics in relation to extracellular enzyme activity. Asian J Plant Sci 7(4):368–374. https://doi.org/10.3923/ajps.2008.368.374
Moghaddas EEY, Stephens SL (2007) Thinning, burning, and thin-burn fuel treatment effects on soil properties in a Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests. For Ecol Manag 250:156–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2007.05.011
Neary DG, Klopatek CC, DeBano LF, Ffolliott PF (1999) Fire effects on belowground sustainability: a review and synthesis. For Ecol Manag 122:51–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00032-8
Neary DG, Ryan KC, DeBano LF (2005) Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on soils and water. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Press, p 250
Neill C, Patterson WA III, Crary DW Jr (2007) Responses of soil carbon, nitrogen and cations to the frequency and seasonality of prescribed burning in a Cape Cod oak-pine forest. For Ecol Manag 250:234–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2007.05.023
Ngole-Jeme V (2019) Fire-induced changes in soil and implications on soil sorption capacity and remediation methods. Appl Sci. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9173447
Olsen SR, Summers LE (1982) Phosphorus. In: Keeney AL (ed) Methods of soil analysis. Soil Science Society, Madison, pp 421–422
Oluwole FA, Sambo JM, Sikhalazo D (2008) Long-term effects of different burning frequencies on the dry savannah grassland in South Africa. Afr J Agric Res 3(2):147–153. http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR
Pereira P, Francos M, Brevik EC, Ubeda X, Bogunovic I (2018) Post-fire soil management. Curr Opin Environ Sci Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2018.04.002
Ponder F Jr, Tadros M, Loewenstein EF (2009) Microbial properties and litter and soil nutrients after two prescribed fires in developing savannas in an upland Missouri Ozark Forest. For Ecol Manag 257:755–763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2008.10.009
Rau BM, Johnson DW, Blank RR, Chambers JC (2009) Soil carbon and nitrogen in a Great Basin pinyon–juniper woodland: influence of vegetation, burning, and time. J Arid Environ 73:472–479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.12.013
Ravanbakhsh MA (2016) The influence of environmental variables on distribution patterns of Irano-Turanian forests in Alborz Mountains, Iran. J Mt Sci 13:1375–1386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-015-3789-y
Ravanbakhsh H, Hamzeh’ee B, Etemad V, Marvie Mohadjer MR, Assadi M (2015) Phytosociology of Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. forests in Alborz mountain range in the north of Iran. Plant Biosyst 150(5):987–1000
Riffaldi R, Saviozzi A, Levi-Minzi R, Cardelli R (2008) Biochemical properties of a Mediterranean soil as affected by long-term crop management systems. Soil till Res 67:109–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2014.1000420
Sagheb-Talebi Kh, Sajedi T, Pourhashemi M (2014) Forests of Iran. Springer, Netherlands, p 150
Scharenbroch A, Nix BC, Jacobs KA, Bowles ML (2012) Two decades of low-severity prescribed fire increases soil nutrient availability in a Midwestern, USA oak (Quercus) forest. Geoderma 183–184:80–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2012.03.010
Schimel JP, Bennett J (2004) Nitrogen mineralization: challenges of a changing paradigm. Ecology 85:591–602
Schinner F, Öhlinger R, Kandeler E, Margesin R (1996) Methods in soil biology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, p 426
Sinsabaugh R, Reynolds H, Long T (2000) Rapid assay for amidohydrolase (urease) activity in environmental samples. Soil Biol Biochem 32:2095–2097. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00102-4
Haveren BP Van (1983) Soil bulk density as influenced by grazing intensity and soil type on a shortgrass prairie site. J Range Manag 36 (5): 586–588. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/645931
Walkley A, Black IA (1934) An examination of Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter, and proposed modification of the chromic acid tritation method. Soil Sci 37:29–38. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-193401000-00003
Wang AS, Angle JS, Chaney RL, Delorme TA, Melntosh M (2006) Changes in soil biological activities under reduced soil pH during Thlaspi caerulescens phytoextraction. Soil Biol Biochem 38:1451–1461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2005.11.001
Warncke D, Brown J (1998) Potassium and other basic cations. In: Brown JR (ed) Recommended chemical soil test procedures for the north central region. University Missouri, Columbia, pp 31–32
Wei Y, Zhou Z, Liu G (2012) Physico-chemical properties and enzyme activities of the arable soils in Lhasa, Tibet, China. J Mt Sci 9:558–569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-012-2165-4
Xue L, Qiujing Li Q, Chen H (2014) Effects of a Wildfire on Selected Physical, Chemical and Biochemical Soil Properties in a Pinus massoniana Forest in South China. Forests 5:2947–2966. https://doi.org/10.3390/f5122947
Zhang X, Zhu J, Cui YC, Huo D, Wang LL, Wu P, Chen J, Yang PDQ, CH, (2011) Influence of fire on a Pinus massoniana soil in a karst mountain area at the center of Guizhou Province, China. Acta Ecol Sin 31:5809–5817
Zhong WH, Cai ZC, Zhang H (2007) Effects of long-term application of inorganic fertilizers on biochemical properties of a rice-planting red soil. Pedosphere 17:419–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(07)60051-4
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Project funding: This study was supported by the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran.
The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com.
Corresponding editor: Yu Lei.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Delijani, N.B., Moshki, A., Matinizadeh, M. et al. The effects of fire and seasonal variations on soil properties in Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. stands in the Alborz Mountains, Iran. J. For. Res. 33, 1471–1479 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-021-01446-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-021-01446-1