Fire induced changes in soil microbial commu-nity estimated by BIOLOG and phospholipid fatty acid techniques

The BIOLOG and Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) techniques were used to evaluate the short- and medium- term effects produced by an experimental fire and different stabilisation treatments (seeding, mulching) on soil microbial community. The study was performed in a shrubland ecosystem from Galicia (NW Spain) affected by an experimental fire of low-severity and two different post-fire treatments (seeding and mulching). Soil samples were collected from the top layer (0-5 cm) of the A horizon immediately and 90, 180 and 365 days after the fire and the microbial community was determined using both the BIOLOG and the PLFA methods. The results indicated that, independently of the method used, the experimental fire induced marked changes on the soil microbial community, which persisted even after 1 year and that there was no evidence of noticeable microbial changes between the two different post-fire treatments and the corresponding burnt treatment. In addition, a clear significant effect of the sampling time on the soil microbial community structure was observed, the impact being even most important than that observed for the experimental fire.This study was supported by the Ministerio Español de Economía y Competitividad (AGL2012-39686-C02-01) and by Fundación MAFRE. A. Barreiro and A. Lombao are recipients of FPU grants from Spanish Ministry of EducationPeer reviewe