Características biológicas como indicadores de resposta ambiental em área de manejo integrado do fogo

Abstract

Fires in conservation areas have a profound impact on vegetation, fauna, and the manage ment of conservation units. To prevent forest fires and their harmful effects, Integrated Fire Management (MIF) stands out as a promising technology, involving prescribed burns. This study investigated the effects of MIF on soil biological properties, using indicators such as environmental DNA, microbial biomass carbon (BMS-C), soil basal respiration (RBS), metabolic quotient (qCO2), easily extractable glomalin (GFE), and difficult extractable glomalin (GDE). Soil samples were collected in four distinct treatments: MIF1 (Integrated Fire Management 1), MIF2 (Integrated Fire Management 2), SMIF (Without Integrated Fire Management), and M I F 1 A (one year after burning in the M I F 1 area). We found that Quartzarenic Neosoils experienced significant changes in pH and levels of Aluminum, Boron, Iron, Zinc, and Sulfur. In MIF2, we observed a difference in mi crobial abundance, although taxa with higher abundance showed functional redundancy. Additionally, we found statistically significant differences in key indicators such as RBS, BMS-C, qCO2, and GFE, but not in GDE. Remarkably, MIF1A revealed surprising soil resilience in the cerrado after burning, with more efficient microorganisms and higher GFE content, suggesting a rapid and effective response of these microorganisms to envi ronmental factors. These results highlight the importance of MIF in the preservation and recovery of soils in fire-threatened ecosystems.