College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.
Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 May 10;14(1):10706. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-61621-2.
Wildfires, as an environmental filter, are pivotal ecological disturbances that reshape plant communities and soil dynamics, playing a crucial role in regulating biogeographic patterns and ecosystem services. In this study, we aim to explore the effects of wildfires on forest ecosystems, specifically focusing on the plant-soil feedback mechanisms within the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Utilizing Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM), we investigated the interrelationships among soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, species diversity, and community stability at varying post-fire recovery stages (5, 15, and 23 years). Results indicated that in the early recovery stages, rapid changes in soil properties such as decreased pH (p < 0.001) and increased nutrient availability facilitate the emergence of early successional species with high resource utilization traits. As the ecosystem evolved toward a climax community, the soil and vegetation exhibit increased stability. Furthermore, soil enzyme activities displayed dynamic patterns that corresponded with changes in soil nutrient content, directly influencing the regeneration and diversity of plant communities. Importantly, our study documented a transition in the influence of soil properties on community stability from direct positive effects in initial recovery phases to negative impacts in later stages, while indirect benefits accrue through increased species diversity and enzyme activity. Vegetation composition and structure changed dynamically with recovery time during community succession. Plant nutrient absorption and accumulation affected nutrient dynamics in the soil, influencing plant regeneration, distribution, and diversity. Our results underscore the complex interactions between soil and vegetation that drive the recovery dynamics post-wildfire, highlighting the resilience of forest ecosystems to fire disturbances. This study contributes to the understanding of post-fire recovery processes and offers valuable insights for the management and restoration of fire-affected forest ecosystems.
野火作为一种环境过滤器，是重塑植物群落和土壤动态的关键生态干扰因素，在调节生物地理格局和生态系统服务方面发挥着至关重要的作用。在本研究中，我们旨在探讨野火对森林生态系统的影响，特别是聚焦于青藏高原东北部（QTP）边缘的森林生态系统。我们利用偏最小二乘路径模型（PLS-PM），研究了土壤理化性质、酶活性、物种多样性和不同火后恢复阶段（5、15 和 23 年）的群落稳定性之间的相互关系。结果表明，在早期恢复阶段，土壤性质的快速变化，如 pH 值降低（p<0.001）和养分供应增加，有利于具有高资源利用特性的早期演替物种的出现。随着生态系统向顶极群落演替，土壤和植被表现出更高的稳定性。此外，土壤酶活性表现出与土壤养分含量变化相对应的动态模式，直接影响植物群落的再生和多样性。重要的是，我们的研究记录了土壤性质对群落稳定性的影响从早期恢复阶段的直接正向影响到后期阶段的负向影响的转变，而通过增加物种多样性和酶活性则产生间接收益。植被组成和结构在群落演替过程中随恢复时间而动态变化。植物养分吸收和积累影响土壤中的养分动态，进而影响植物的再生、分布和多样性。我们的研究结果强调了土壤和植被之间复杂的相互作用，这些相互作用驱动了火后恢复的动态过程，突显了森林生态系统对火干扰的恢复能力。本研究有助于理解火后恢复过程，并为受火灾影响的森林生态系统的管理和恢复提供了有价值的见解。
