Wildfire effects on the properties and microbial community structure of organic horizon soils in the New Jersey Pinelands

The frequency and intensity of wildfires are expected to increase in the coming years due to the changing climate, particularly in areas of high net primary production. Wildfires represent severe perturbations to terrestrial ecosystems and may have lasting effects. The objective of this study was to characterize the impacts of wildfire on an ecologically and economically important ecosystem by linking soil properties to shifts in microbial community structure in organic horizon soils. The study was conducted after a severe wildfire burned over 7000 ha of the New Jersey Pinelands, a low nutrient system with a historical incidence of fires. Soil properties in burned and non-burned soils were measured periodically up to two years after the fire occurred, in conjunction with molecular analysis of the soil bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities to determine the extent and duration of the ecosystem responses. The results of our study indicate that the wildfire resulted in significant changes in the soil physical and chemical characteristics in the organic horizon, including declines in soil organic matter, moisture content and total Kjeldahl nitrogen. These changes persisted for up to 25 months post-fire and were linked to shifts in the composition of soil bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities in the organic horizon. Of particular interest is the fact that the bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities in the severely burned soils all changed most dramatically during the first year after fire, changed more slowly during the second year after the fire, and were still distinct from communities in the non-burned soils 25 months post-fire. This slow recovery in soil physical, chemical and biological properties could have long term consequences for the soil ecosystem. These results highlight the importance of relating the response of the soil microbial communities to changing soil properties after a naturally occurring wildfire.