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SUMMARY:Evaluating the Effects of Fire on Carbon and Nitrogen Biogeochemist
 ry in Forested Ecosystems
LOCATION:Chemistry A101
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20220309T160000
UID:2026-04-25-23-13-45@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260425T231345
Description:While natural wildfires have been the principal landscape distu
 rbance in boreal forests for the last 6000 years\, warming climate and lan
 d management have increased the frequency and severity of wildfires in the
  western US. Wildfires can induce important ecological benefits to many ec
 osystems\; however\, severe wildfires may threaten soil health\, water and
  air quality\, and ecosystem resilience. Although post-fire losses of soil
  organic matter (SOM) during combustion are expected\, little is known abo
 ut how wildfires alter organic nitrogen (N) forms. The availability of N i
 s important for microbial metabolism\; therefore\, transformations to N-co
 ntaining substrates with fire may have crucial implications for microbiall
 y-mediated processes. Molecular characterization of pyrogenic C and N is n
 ecessary for predicting how fires influence the biogeochemical cycling of 
 C and N in impacted soils. Here\, we aimed to characterize the specific ch
 anges to N chemistry within fire-impacted beaver ponds and with increasing
  fire severity in a lodgepole pine forest in Colorado\, USA. For both stud
 ies\, organic matter was extracted for chemical analyses including Fourier
  Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Within t
 he beaver ponds\, we observed greater abundance of N-containing compounds\
 , lower C/N and O/C\, and increased organic matter aromaticity within the 
 ponds\, potentially indicating localized preservation of pyrogenic organic
  matter driven by the processing of more labile compounds. Within fire imp
 acted soils\, we report a relative increase in the organic N component wit
 h burn\, demonstrating that fire promotes a shift in SOM chemical composit
 ion that may be indicative of the specific transformations that soils unde
 rgo during heating. SOM N composition is strongly linked to fire severity\
 , and\, with increasing severity\, SOM becomes more N-rich\, resulting in 
 a lower C/N ratio in high severity soils relative to low and moderate burn
 s. Together\, these findings provide molecular insights into the formation
  and transformation of pyrogenic organic matter and enhance our understand
 ing of N cycling in post-fire environments\, with key implications for for
 est recovery following severe wildfire. 4:00 pm
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