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The effect of fire on microbial biomass: a meta-analysis of field studies

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Abstract

Soil microbes regulate the transfer of carbon (C) from ecosystems to the atmosphere and in doing so influence feedbacks between terrestrial ecosystems and global climate change. Fire is one element of global change that may influence soil microbial communities and, in turn, their contribution to the C dynamics of ecosystems. In order to improve our understanding of how fire influences belowground communities, we conducted a meta-analysis of 42 published microbial responses to fire. We hypothesized that microbial biomass as a whole, and fungal biomass specifically, would be altered following fires. Across all studies, fire reduced microbial abundance by an average of 33.2% and fungal abundance by an average of 47.6%. However, microbial responses to fire differed significantly among biomes and fire types. For example, microbial biomass declined following fires in boreal and temperate forests but not following grasslands fires. In addition, wildfires lead to a greater reduction in microbial biomass than prescribed burns. These differences are likely attributable to differences in fire severity among biomes and fire types. Changes in microbial abundance were significantly correlated with changes in soil CO2 emissions. Altogether, these results suggest that fires may significantly decrease microbial abundance, with corresponding consequences for soil CO2 emissions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the authors whose work was included in this meta-analysis. We are grateful to Jennifer Talbot, Stephanie Kivlin, Nicole Hynson, and three anonymous reviewers for providing insightful comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. S.R. Dooley was supported in part by an award from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program (DOE SCGF). All opinions expressed in this paper are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of DOE, ORAU, or ORISE.

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  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA

    Sandra R. Dooley & Kathleen K. Treseder

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  1. Sandra R. Dooley
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Correspondence to Sandra R. Dooley.

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Dooley, S.R., Treseder, K.K. The effect of fire on microbial biomass: a meta-analysis of field studies. Biogeochemistry 109, 49–61 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-011-9633-8

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