Climatic Aridity Shapes Post-Fire Interactions between <i>Ceanothus</i> spp. and Douglas-Fir (<i>Pseudotsuga menziesii</i>) across the Klamath Mountains
Climate change is leading to increased drought intensity and fire frequency, creating early-successional landscapes with novel disturbance–recovery dynamics. In the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, early-successional interactions between nitrogen (N)-fixing shrub...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/bb93343eabf04999b936ef31c5241440 |
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| Sumario: | Climate change is leading to increased drought intensity and fire frequency, creating early-successional landscapes with novel disturbance–recovery dynamics. In the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, early-successional interactions between nitrogen (N)-fixing shrubs (<i>Ceanothus</i> spp.) and long-lived conifers (Douglas-fir) are especially important determinants of forest development. We sampled post-fire vegetation and soil biogeochemistry in 57 plots along gradients of time since fire (7–28 years) and climatic water deficit (aridity). We found that <i>Ceanothus</i> biomass increased, and Douglas-fir biomass decreased with increasing aridity. High aridity and <i>Ceanothus</i> biomass interacted with lower soil C:N more than either factor alone. <i>Ceanothus</i> biomass was initially high after fire and declined with time, suggesting a large initial pulse of N-fixation that could enhance N availability for establishing Douglas-fir. We conclude that future increases in aridity and wildfire frequency will likely limit post-fire Douglas-fir establishment, though <i>Ceanothus</i> may ameliorate some of these impacts through benefits to microclimate and soils. Results from this study contribute to our understanding of the effects of climate change and wildfires on interspecific interactions and forest dynamics. Management seeking to accelerate forest recovery after high-severity fire should emphasize early-successional conifer establishment while maintaining N-fixing shrubs to enhance soil fertility. |
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