title: Influences of recovery from wildfire and thinning on soil respiration of a Mediterranean mixed forest.
abstract: The ecosystem recovery after wildfire and thinning practices are both key processes that have great potential to influence fluxes and storage of carbon within Mediterranean semiarid ecosystems. In this study, started 7years after a wildfire, soil respiration (SR) patterns measured from 2008 to 2010 were compared between an unmanaged-undisturbed mature forest stand (UB site) and a naturally regenerated post-wildfire stand (B site) in a Mediterranean mixed forest in Spain. The disturbed stand included a control zone (unthinned forest, BUT site) and a thinned zone (BT site). Our results indicated that SR was lower at naturally regenerated after fire sites (BUT and BT) than at unburnt one. Soil under the canopy layer of pine and oak trees exhibited higher SR rates than bare or herbaceous layer soils, regardless of the site. The effect of thinning was only manifest, with a significant increase of SR, during the 1st year after thinning practices. SR showed a clear soil temperature-dependent seasonal pattern, which was strongly modulated by soil water content (SWC), especially in summer. Site-specific polynomial regression models were defined to describe SR responses, being mainly controlled by both soil temperature (Ts) and SWC at UB site, or Ts at burnt sites. The sensitivity of SR rate to Ts variations (Q10) ranged between 0.20 and 6.89, with mean annual values varying between 0.92 and 1.35. Q10values were higher at BT than at UB-BUT sites. The results revealed a significant, non-linear dependence, of Q10on both Ts and SWC at UB site, and on Ts at both burnt sites. This study contributes to (i) improve the understanding of how natural recovery and management practices affect soil respiration in a Mediterranean forest during their early stages after fire disturbance and (ii) highlight the importance of Q10values <1 which emphasizes drought stress effect on SR temperature sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain; Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: López-Serrano
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Industrial Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain. Electronic address: Evamaria.rubio@uclm.es.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain; Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Production, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moya
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain; Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andrés-Abellán
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain; Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: García-Morote
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain; Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miettinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Science and Agroforestry Technology and Genetics, Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain; Environmental Department, Renewable Energy Research Institute, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, CP 02071 Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-García
keywords: Holm oak; Mediterranean maritime pine; Q(10); Soil CO(2) efflux