TITLE:
The effects of prescribed fire on soil nematodes in an arid juniper savanna
AUTHORS:
Walter G. Whitford, Stanislav Pen-Mouratov, Yosef Steinberger
KEYWORDS:
Acrobeles; Bacterivore; Fungivore; Omnivore-Predator; Juniperus Monosperma; Soil Moisture; Yucca Baccata
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
20,
2014
ABSTRACT: Prescribed fire produced a landscape with two types of
severely burned patches: charred shrub patches and charred patches with tree
trunks at the center. Soil nematodes were more abundant in burned and unburned
juniper (Juniperus monosperma) tree
patches than in yucca-shrub patches. There were no differences in nematode
abundance between burned and unburned patches during the late spring and summer
samples. Nematode abundance was significantly (p i.e., by loss of tree canopies, litter
accumulation, and shrub foliage, which affects soil temperatures and water
redistribution.