Abstract
Fire is a critical ecosystem process in many landscapes and is particularly dominant in the chaparral shrublands of southern California which are also exposed to high levels of atmospheric N deposition. Few studies have addressed the combined effects of these two disturbance factors. In this study we evaluate the hydrologie and biogeochemical response of a control and a prescribed burn catchment over a 15-year period. Streamwater nitrate concentrations and export in the burned catchment were higher than those in the unburned catchment for 7-10 years after the burn and concentrations remained high in both catchments during the entire study. Therefore, fire is not an effective mitigation tool for N deposition in these semi-arid systems. Additionally, the extended N export in this system indicates that chaparral ecosystems do not recover their N retention capabilities as rapidly as humid systems do when subjected to disturbance.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2887-2894 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Environmental Science and Technology |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2006 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry