Do Wildfires Cause Changes in Soil Quality in the Short Term?

Valeria Memoli, Speranza Claudia Panico, Lucia Santorufo, Rossella Barile, Gabriella Di Natale, Aldo Di Nunzio, Maria Toscanesi, Marco Trifuoggi, Anna De Marco and Giulia Maisto
Additional contact information
Valeria Memoli: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Speranza Claudia Panico: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Lucia Santorufo: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Rossella Barile: Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio, Via Palazzo del Principe c/o Castello Mediceo, 80044 Ottaviano (NA), Italy
Gabriella Di Natale: Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Aldo Di Nunzio: CeSMA-Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Corso Nicolangelo Protopisani, 80146 San Giovanni a Teduccio (NA), Italy
Maria Toscanesi: Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Marco Trifuoggi: Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy
Anna De Marco: Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Montesano, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Giulia Maisto: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: Wildfires have high frequency and intensity in the Mediterranean ecosystems that deeply modify the soil abiotic (i.e., pH, contents of water, organic matter and elements) and biotic properties (i.e., biomass and activity). In 2017, an intense wildfire occurred inside the Vesuvius National Park (Southern Italy), destroying approximately 50% of the existing plant cover. So, the research aimed to evaluate the fire effects on soil quality through single soil abiotic and biotic indicators and through an integrated index (SQI). To achieve the aim, soil samples were collected inside the Vesuvius National Park at 12 sampling field points before fire (BF) and after fire (AF). The findings highlighted that in AF soil, the contents of water and total carbon, element availability, respiration and the dehydrogenase activity were lower than in BF soil; in contrast, pH and hydrolase activity were significantly higher in AF soil. The microbial biomass and activity were affected by Al, Cr and Cu availability in both BF and AF soils. Despite the variations in each investigated soil abiotic and biotic property that occurred in AF soil, the overall soil quality did not significantly differ as compared to that calculated for the BF soil. The findings provide a contribution to the baseline definition of the properties and quality of burnt soil and highlight the short-term effects of fire on volcanic soil in the Mediterranean area.

Keywords: sequential extraction; organic matter content; potential toxic trace elements; microbial activity; soil quality index; Vesuvius National Park (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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