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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Neslihan Taş; Emmanuel Prestat; J. W. Mcfarland; Kimberly P. Wickland; R. Knight; Asmeret Asefaw Berhe; Mark Torre Jorgenson; Mark P. Waldrop; Janet K. Jansson
Publication Date: September 2014

Permafrost soils are large reservoirs of potentially labile carbon (C). Understanding the dynamics of C release from these soils requires us to account for the impact of wildfires, which are increasing in frequency as the climate changes. Boreal wildfires contribute to global emission of greenhouse gases (GHG-CO2, CH4 and N2O) and indirectly result in the thawing of near-surface permafrost. In this study, we aimed to define the impact of fire on soil microbial communities and metabolic potential for GHG fluxes in samples collected up to 1m depth from an upland black spruce forest near Nome Creek, Alaska. We measured geochemistry, GHG fluxes, potential soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure via 16SrRNA gene and metagenome sequencing. We found that soil moisture, C content and the potential for respiration were reduced by fire, as were microbial community diversity and metabolic potential. There were shifts in dominance of several microbial community members, including a higher abundance of candidate phylum AD3 after fire. The metagenome data showed that fire had a pervasive impact on genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, methanogenesis and the nitrogen cycle. Although fire resulted in an immediate release of CO2 from surface soils, our results suggest that the potential for emission of GHG was ultimately reduced at all soil depths over the longer term. Because of the size of the permafrost C reservoir, these results are crucial for understanding whether fire produces a positive or negative feedback loop contributing to the global C cycle. © 2014 International Society for Microbial Ecology.

Citation: Tas, N., E. Prestat, J. W. Mcfarland, K. P. Wickland, R. Knight, A. A. Berhe, T. Jorgenson, M. P. Waldrop, and J. K. Jansson. 2014. Impact of fire on active layer and permafrost microbial communities and metagenomes in an upland Alaskan boreal forest. Isme Journal, v. 8, no. 9, p. 1904-1919. 10.1038/ismej.2014.36.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • black spruce
  • boreal forest
  • boreal forests
  • carbon
  • climate change
  • climate change
  • fire frequency
  • fire management
  • forest management
  • greenhouse gases
  • metagenomics
  • microbial community response
  • microorganisms
  • permafrost
  • Picea mariana
  • soil management
  • soil moisture
  • soil nutrients
  • soil organisms
  • soil temperature
  • tundra
  • wildfire
  • wildfires
Tall Timbers Record Number: 30581Location Status: Not in fileCall Number: AvailableAbstract Status: Fair use, Okay, Reproduced by permission
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 53230

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.