The multi-element stoichiometry of wet eucalypt forest is transformed by recent, frequent fire
File version
Author(s)
Elser, James J
Lewis, Tom
Maunsell, Sarah C
Rashti, Mehran Rezaei
Chen, Chengrong
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
Background and aims: Fires can alter the elemental stoichiometry of ecosystems, reflecting altered patterns of biogeochemical cycling in the post-fire environment. However, elements other than carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) have rarely been studied in this context. Thus, we aimed to expand the understanding of fire’s stoichiometric and biogeochemical effects to encompass a broader suite of biogenic elements. Methods: We compared the stoichiometric ratios of C, N, P, potassium (K), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) in soil, plant litter, and beetles (Thalycrodes pulchrum) between forest plots that have been burned biennially at low intensity since 1972 and plots that have remained unburned. Results: Multi-element stoichiometry differed strongly between the fire regimes. Low intensity biennial burning was associated with depletion of C, N, and S relative to P, K, and to a small extent Mg and Na, in soil and litter. The stoichiometry of T. pulchrum biomass was not significantly affected by fire regime, but fire regime-associated variation in the stoichiometry of T. pulchrum biomass was positively correlated with the fire-induced stoichiometric shifts in soil. Conclusions: The effects of low intensity prescribed fire on ecological stoichiometry extend to Na, K, Mg, and S in ways consistent with the respective potentials of these elements to volatilize during fire or accumulate in the absence of fire. These effects vary among ecosystem components in a manner that reveals the importance of biological processes and constraints as factors that determine the nature, magnitude, and potential consequences of the stoichiometric signatures of fire regimes. We conclude that long-term changes in fire regime can disrupt or even decouple the biogeochemical cycles of numerous biogenic elements in the soil–plant system.
Journal Title
Plant and Soil
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
This publication has been entered into Griffith Research Online as an Advanced Online Version
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Environmental sciences
Biological sciences
Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Butler, OM; Elser, JJ; Lewis, T; Maunsell, SC; Rezaei Rashti, M; Chen, C, The multi-element stoichiometry of wet eucalypt forest is transformed by recent, frequent fire, Plant and Soil, 2019