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Author(s):
Joel B. Sankey, Temuulen T. Sankey, Matthew J. Germino
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fire Effects
Ecological - First Order
Soil Heating
Ecosystem(s):
Sagebrush steppe

NRFSN number: 11484
FRAMES RCS number: 12857
Record updated:

Understanding effects of changes in ecological disturbance regimes on soil properties, and capacity of soil properties to resist disturbance, is important for assessing ecological condition. In this meta-analysis, we examined the resilience of surface soil properties and their spatial patterning to disturbance by fire in sagebrush steppe of North America - a biome currently experiencing increases in wildfire due to climate change. We reviewed 39 studies that reported on soil properties for sagebrush steppe with distinct microsite (undershrub and interspace) patterning that was or was not recently burned. We estimated microsite effects for 21 soil properties and examined the effect of burning on microsite effects during the first year post-fire, before the re-establishment of vegetation.

Citation

Sankey, Joel B.; Germino, Matthew J.; Sankey, Temuulen T.; Hoover, Amber N. 2012. Fire effects on the spatial patterning of soil properties in sagebrush steppe, USA: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 21(5): 545-556.

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