Prescribed burning of scrubland only affects very sensitive topsoil properties: A decadal-scale study in encroached grasslands of the southern Pyrenees

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dc.contributor.authorAlfaro Leranoz, Andoni
dc.contributor.authorBadía Villas, David
dc.contributor.authorMartí Dalmau, Clara
dc.contributor.orcidAlfaro Leranoz, Andoni [0000-0003-0004-4196]
dc.date.accessioned2025-12-28T08:47:46Z
dc.date.available2025-12-28T08:47:46Z
dc.date.issued2025-12-19
dc.date.updated2025-12-28T08:23:47Z
dc.description.abstractThe decrease in grazing activity during the last century is causing an encroachment of the subclimatic grasslands in most European mountains, accelerated by climate change. To control this expansion, prescribed burnings (PBs) are used. However, their use can affect sensitive soil properties, particularly soil microbiology. Although many studies have already reported the immediate effects of shrub PBs on soils, very few of them have studied the long-term post-fire recovery. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term effects of the PBs on the topsoil biochemical properties over time, at a cm-scale (0–1, 1–2, 2–3 cm). The soil sampling was carried out in Asín de Broto (Central Pyrenees, Spain) and four treatments, depending on the time-since-fire, were selected: unburned (UB), immediately post-fire (B0), 5 (B5) and 9 (B9) years after burning. The results showed an immediate increase (B0) in chemical properties because of the ash incorporation, highlighting values 3.35, 1.64 and 1.55 times higher than in the UB samples for the electrical conductivity, the dissolved organic C and the total N, respectively. However, these increases were no longer noticeable after the mid-term (B5, B9). Regarding the biological properties, β-D-glucosidase (GLU) activity suffered a significant decrease over time (67 and 72 % less in B5 and B9, respectively), without affecting either the microbial biomass C or its activity. This study has proven that GLU is a useful indicator that can be used to assess the effects of low-severity fires.
dc.description.peerreviewedSi
dc.description.sponsorshipA. Alfaro-Leranoz was funded by a DGA predoctoral research grant (BOA20200713012), financed by the Government of Aragón.
dc.identifier.citationAlfaro-Leranoz, A., Badía-Villas, D., & Martí-Dalmau, C. (2026). Prescribed burning of scrubland only affects very sensitive topsoil properties: A decadal-scale study in encroached grasslands of the southern Pyrenees. CATENA, 263, 109728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109728
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.catena.2025.109728
dc.identifier.issn0341-8162
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109728
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10532/8087
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier B.V.
dc.relation.citaSi
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109728
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Spainen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
dc.subject.agrovocQuema controlada
dc.subject.agrovocCarbono
dc.subject.agrovocMicroorganismo del suelo
dc.subject.agrovocCeniza
dc.subject.agrovocMatorral
dc.subject.agrovocComposición bioquímica
dc.subject.agrovocPirineos
dc.subject.sdgVida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.subject.sdgAcción por el clima
dc.titlePrescribed burning of scrubland only affects very sensitive topsoil properties: A decadal-scale study in encroached grasslands of the southern Pyrenees
dc.typetexto
dc.typerevista
dc.typeartículo
dc.typeartículo original
dc.type.hasVersionversión publicada

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