The effects of prescribed fire on soil nematodes in an arid juniper savanna

Abstract

Prescribed fire produced a landscape with two types of\rseverely burned patches: charred shrub patches and charred patches with tree\rtrunks at the center. Soil nematodes were more abundant in burned and unburned\rjuniper (Juniperus monosperma) tree\rpatches than in yucca-shrub patches. There were no differences in nematode\rabundance between burned and unburned patches during the late spring and summer\rsamples. Nematode abundance was significantly (p i.e., by loss of tree canopies, litter\raccumulation, and shrub foliage, which affects soil temperatures and water\rredistribution.