Data product for "Influence of a native legume on soil N and plant response following prescribed fire in sagebrush steppe"

We examined the effects of prescribed fire and legume presence in Underdown Canyon located in the central Great Basin, Nevada, USA. We examined three treatments - one year post-burn, three years post-burn and unburned control in three replicate blocks. Within each treatment we measured density, biomass, cover, and nutrient content of a native legume, Lupinus argenteus (Pursh). We also examined the effects of Lupinus presence and prescribed fire on KCl extractable soil inorganic nitrogen and nitrogen mineralization. Lastly we examined the effect of prescribed fire and Lupinus presence on the cover and biomass on neighboring plant functional groups (annual grass, annual forb, perennial grass, perennial forb, shrub, other legumes).
Prescribed fire is a potential restoration tool, but recovery depends on nutrient availability and species responses after burning. Fire often leads to long-term losses in total nitrogen, but presence of native legumes can influence recovery through addition of fixed nitrogen. We conducted this experiment to determine how prescribed fire influences density and cover of Lupinus and the combined effect of prescribed fire and Lupinus on soil N and community succession after fire. Results indicate that Lupinus has the potential to influence succession through modification of the post-fire environment.
Original metadata date was 05/01/2009. Metadata modified on 03/11/2013 to adjust citation to include the addition of a DOI (digital object identifier) and other minor edits. Minor metadata updates on 12/20/2016.