SGER: Effects of Wildfire on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology in an Oak Woodland - Chaparral Ecosystem

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AbstractSusan P. HarrisonU of California - Davis0072804The 40,000-acre wildfire in Northern California that occurred 16 October 1999 presents a very valuable scientific opportunity to address new questions about aquatic ecosystem and terrestrial plant community responses to perturbation. Aquatic studies will examine (1) whether nutrient enrichment 'cascades up' alternating trophic levels (as sometimes found in simple experimental systems) or increases abundances at all trophic levels (as typically found in complex natural systems); (2) the speed of recovery of the simpler invertebrate faunas of intermittent streams in comparison to more complex faunas of permanent streams; and (3) whether nutrient enrichment leads to higher biological uptake of mercury in this system. Terrestrial studies will examine how spatial isolation from seed sources influences the recovery of the grassland plant community and whether the effects of fire on the plant community (including its dominance by alien species) depends on substrate and grazing history. The results of this project coupled with a multi-year pre-fire database will provide new insights into how large infrequent fires influence patterns of diversity at the watershed scale.