Surficial geology and fire in southeastern Arizona grasslands- effects on soil geochemistry in semiarid ecosystems, Fort Huachuca Military Reservation, Arizona

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Author
Biggs, T.H.
Pearthree, P.A.
Florkowski, L.N.
Shaner, P.L.
Issue Date
2006-06-01
Keywords
Arizona Geological Survey Open File Reports
Cochise County
Fort Huachuca Military Reservation
Arizona
semiarid ecosystems
fire
soil
geochemisty
grassland
Geology

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Citation
Biggs, T.H., Pearthree, P.A., Florkowski, L.N., and Shaner, P.L., 2006, Surficial geology and fire in southeastern Arizona grasslands- effects on soil geochemistry in semiarid ecosystems, Fort Huachuca Military Reservation, Arizona. Arizona Geological Survey Open File Report, OFR-06-02, 50 p.
Description
Throughout the southwestern United States, vegetation in what historically was grassland has changed to a mixture of trees and shrubs; exotic grass species and undesirable shrubs have also invaded the grasslands at the expense of native grasses. The availability and amount of soil nutrients influence the relative success of plants, but few studies have examined fire effects on soil characteristics in a temporal, spatial, and species group specific fashion. Likewise, few studies have tied fire effects and ecological aspects to the underlying geology. Our research investigates the effects of fire events on selected soil characteristics pH, nitrate (NO3-), plant-available phosphorus (PO4 -3), and total organic carbon (TOC) on native grass-, exotic grass-, and mixed grass-dominated plots distributed on four different geological surfaces. Treated and control plots were sampled prior to burn treatment and at intervals after the burns. In addition to new geologic mapping of the study areas, results indicate the geologic substrate is the most important variable for explaining pH, NO3- and PO4-3 values in the soils. Dominant grass type –native, non-native, or mixed – had little effect on the response of soil geochemistry to fire events: post-burn results indicate vegetation was a significant factor only for TOC. Recovery to pre-burn levels varies with characteristic: there were no significant initial differences between vegetation types, but significant differences in NO3-, PO4-3, and TOC amounts occur as a result of fire events, geological characteristics, and time. The research helps identify the soil response to fire and the recovery times of soil characteristics, further defines which fire frequency is optimal as a management strategy to maximize soil macronutrient contents, and illustrates the important role geology plays in grassland ecosystems.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/630004
Additional Links
https://library.azgs.arizona.edu/
Language
en
Series/Report no.
OFR-06-02
Rights
Arizona Geological Survey. All rights reserved.
Collection Information
Documents in the AZGS Document Repository collection are made available by the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact azgs-info@email.arizona.edu.
North Bounding Coordinate
31.6534
South Bounding Coordinate
31.4662
West Bounding Coordinate
-110.544
East Bounding Coordinate
-110.099
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