Document: STE-3-68-2

Effects of above- and below-ground fire on soil properties and cattail growth potential in a northern Everglades marsh.

SMITH, S.M.*, S.NEWMAN, J.A.LEEDS and P.B.GARRETT

South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, Florida ¹

Abstract:
The effects of surface- and muck-fire on soils from a hydrologically-altered Everglades marsh were investigated by chemical analysis and bioassay. Muck fire resulted in losses of total carbon, nitrogen, and organic forms of phosphorus (P) while inorganic P and calcium (Ca) were significantly elevated. Muck fire also resulted in greatly increased vertical heterogeneity in concentrations of Ca, total P, and inorganic P between the upper (0-2 cm) and lower (2-10 cm) soil layers. In contrast, surface-fire had only a minor enrichment effect with respect to soil P fractions and little effect on other elements. In terms of fire-related concentration changes, calcium was used as a conservative tracer to estimate soil reduction during muck burning. In this way, physical and chemical transformations could be resolved. To address potential ecological effects of such fire events, cattail (Typha domingensis) seedlings were planted in muck-, surface-, and non-burned soils collected from the area. Plant biomass was significantly higher in plants grown in muck-burned soils indicating that P availability, in addition to concentration, is an important factor regulating cattail invasion and expansion in the Everglades.

Keywords: fire, soils, Everglades, cattail

This abstract is being presented at: 11:30 AM in session:
Oral Session #23: Soil Ecology.