Effect of Prescribed Fire on Soil Permeability in a Neotropical Savanna

Effect of Prescribed Fire on Soil Permeability in a Neotropical Savanna | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Effect of Prescribed Fire on Soil Permeability in a Neotropical Savanna Frederico Piontkowski, Luiz Felippe Salemi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3146834/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Nov, 2023 Read the published version in Environmental Processes → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Prescribed fire is a manner to decrease the amount of fuel which, otherwise, would be subjected to wild fires. However, the effect of such practice on soil physical properties still needs attention. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of prescribed fire on some physical variables of a soil under the Brazilian Tropical Savanna, a fire-prone ecosystem. To do so, we sampled water repellency, infiltration capacity, and soil resistance to penetration in burned (prescribed fire) and unburned adjacent plots. There were no significant differences between burned and unburned plots for any of the variables. Therefore, in addition to the clear effects with respect to ecosystem flammability, here we demonstrated that prescribed fire does not significantly alter soil physical properties in the Brazilian Tropical Savanna. This demonstrates the soil physical properties maintenance under low intensity fire regimes. Fire Prescribed Fires Infiltration Capacity Water Repellency Penetration Resistance Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 1. Introduction Fire is an environmental filter that has an important function within neotropical savanna ecosystems (Teixeira et al., 2021 ). Fire has many important effects such as: (a) alters functional diversity and fluxes between the atmosphere and biosphere (Teixeira et al., 2021 ), (b) decreases fuel load (plant biomass) (Archibald et al., 2013 ), (c) favors the increase of shrub biomass through the emergence of basal shoots in woody plants that occur in fire-prone ecosystems (Lopes et al, 2009 ; Le Stradic, 2021; Simpson et al., 2021 ), (d) stimulates greater production of absorptive roots than transport roots (Pausas et al., 2018 ), (e) causes nutrient losses, total habitat destruction, difficulty of animal escape to unburned sites and loss of biodiversity (Alves and Silva, 2011 ; Durigan and Ratter, 2016 ). Fires might occur naturally or through anthropogenic activities (e.g. wildfires and prescribed fire). The former occurs through lightning (Pivello, 2008 ) that act as ignition which, combined with the increase in biomass, high temperatures and low humidity in the region (Teixeira et al., 2021 ) which may trigger low intensity or even wildfires (Pivello, 2008 ). The latter, on the other hand, can occur through anthropogenic activities with the purpose of converting natural ecosystems into agricultural areas (Klink and Machado, 2005 ; Dutra and Souza, 2017 ) or through loss of control when cattle ranchers use fire to promote forage regrowth to increase palatability (Pivello and Norton, 1996 ). Finally, prescribed fire is used to deliberately control the amount of fuel in a given ecosystem. Generally prescribed fires are enforced by competent environmental agencies in order to avoid or reduce the occurence of wildfires (Alves and Silva, 2011 ; Pivello et al., 2019 ; Berlinck and Lima, 2021 ). Prescribed fire generally has lower intensity and severity, and alters a lower amount of ecosystem (in terms of area) compared to wildfires (Pivello, 2008 ). In addition to the impacts on biodiversity, wildfires also negatively affect the soil properties such as infiltration capacity, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, storage capacity and water retention (Neary et al., 1999 ). Moreover, such alteration brings about the installation of erosive processes (Spera et al., 2000 ), increase in chemicals such as carbon and nitrogen in the soil (Le Stradic, 2021), alter moisture and favor hydro-repellency (Atanassova and Doerr, 2011 ). Wildfires make soils more vulnerable to nutrient depletion since fire derived from such events is more intense, long-lasting, and uncontrolled (Agbeshie et al., 2022). In order to reduce the negative impacts that wildfires cause on soil properties, prescribed fire becomes an option because it has the potential to reduce fuel load. Prescribed fire cause lower and even positive changes to soil properties compared to wildfires, because they are low-intensity events that tend to be faster and are usually extinguished on the same day (Neto and Soares, 1995 ; Ferreira et al., 2010; Blum et al., 2011 ). Despite demonstrating the effects of prescribed fire on soil physicochemical properties, such as increased pH and increased nutrient availability (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, PO43-, NH4+), studies about the effects of prescribed fire on soil physicochemical attributes are still incipient (Figueiredo et al, 2013 ; Nóbrega et al., 2017; Agbeshie et al., 2022; Ebel et al., 2022a). Analyzing the impacts that prescribed fire can cause on soil physical properties will allow to understand the complex relationship of fire, especially prescribed fire, with soil physical-hydric attributes (hydrophobicity, infiltration and resistance to penetration) that still deserve attention (Brito et al., 2021 , Lima 2021). The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of prescribed fire on some soil physical-hydric properties - infiltration capacity, penetration resistance and hydrophobicity. Given that prescribed fire maintains low temperatures that do not allow the total removal of the tree canopy, organic matter and microorganisms (Ferreira et al., 2010), we hypothesize that prescribed fire, in natural areas of the Brazilian Tropical Savanna, does not alter the soil physical-hydric properties. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Study Area The study area is the Brasilia National Park which is located in the administrative region (AR) of Plano Piloto, Federal District, Brazil (Fig. 1 ). The altitude is approximately 1250 m with a tropical climate Aw (Koppen-Geiger) with two distinct seasons: wet and dry. The soil is classified as an oxisol (clayey texture) located on the tops of the plateau. We selected an area of BNP which was subjected to prescribed fire by the envrionmental agency (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation - ICMBIO) (Fig. 2 ). These are usually the boundaries of BNP where prescribed fire is used to reduce the amount of fuel. Such action reduces the probability of a fire originated outside the BNP entering the park. 2.2. Instruments The MiniDisk infiltrometer, dropper and impact penetrometer were used to verify the infiltration capacity, water repellency and soil resistance, respectively. The MiniDisk infiltrometer is a tension infiltrometer that operates from 0 to -7 cm suction rate and uses the analytical solution proposed by Zhang ( 1997 ) to the calculation of hydraulic conductivity (Lima et al., 2020 ). In order to reach the highest range of pores, we set the suction of the infiltrometer to 0. Measurements were taken at a constant interval until steady state infiltration was found for at least three consecutive times. A dropper was used to add a standard 5 ml drop of water to the soil. The time needed to infiltrate such drop was recorded and used to classify the soil according to the water drop penetration time test (WDPT) (De Bano, 1981 ). Soil penetration resistance was measured using the Stolf impact penetrometer which consists of 2kg-rod which drives the penetration of the equipment into the soil. The 2-kg-rod is subjected to a free fall which causes an impact that will promote the penetration of the rod that is in contact with the soil. The soil penetration resistance is calculated following Stolf (2014). 2.3. Sampling Design In total, eight plots (1m x 1m) were chosen within the neotropical savanna of the Brasilia National Park. Four plots were located in a region subjected to prescribed fire (hereafter “burned”) and four with neotropical savanna that did not burn (hereafter “unburned”). Once a plot were chosen in a burned savanna, an adjacent unburned site were paired. Burned plot were randomized using a randomizer app. Four numbers from 1 to 400 were randimized and plots were placed in such number within the 400-m transect. In each plot infiltration, water repellency and soil resistance to penetration were measured foollowing the sampling design depicted in Fig. 3 . Five repetitions for each variable were taken within each plot. In each plot infiltration, water repellency and soil resistance to penetration were measured foollowing the sampling design depicted in Fig. 3 . Five repetitions for each variable were taken within each plot. 2.4. Statistical Analyses The spatial independence of the variables was tested using Moran test. There was no detection of spatial autocorrelation for any of the variables. The distribution of the residuals of the variables, as well as the homogeneity of variances were evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, respectively. The residuals of the infiltration and penetration resistance data (impacts 0, 1 and 2) presented normal distribution. Furthermore, both infiltration capacity and soil resistance to penetration presented homogeneity of variance. For these cases, an unpaired t-test was used to test the differences between areas subjected and not subjected to prescribed fire. Water repellency showed non-normal distribution and homogeneity of variance. Therefore, a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used for water repellency. Spearman's test was used to verify the degree of association between infiltration capacity and water repellency. All analyses were performed in the Statistical Package PAST 4.09 at a significance level α > 0.05. 3. Results 3.1. Infiltration The infiltration capacity ranged from 195 to 888 mm h-1 in the burned areas whereas this range was 131 and 845 mm h-1 in the unburned areas (Fig. 4 ). The overall average infiltration capacity obtained was 481.05 ± 279.41 mm h-1 and 626.05 ± 292.53 mm h-1 in the burned and unburned areas, respectively. There was no significant difference between treatments (p = 0.55). 3.2. Soil Penetration Resistance The mean depth found at impact 0 of the burned and unburned areas was 19.12 ± 0.38 cm and 19.53 ± 0.14 cm, respectively. Whereas the mean depth found in impact 1 of the treatments was 8.63 ± 4.46 cm (burned areas) and 6.23 ± 1.11 cm (unburned areas), while the mean depth found in impact 2 of the treatments was 11.62 ± 2.99 (burned areas) and 6.93 ± 1.47 (unburned areas). There was no significant difference between treatments for any of the impacts (p > 0.05) (Fig. 5 ). 3.3. Water repellency The average water drop penetration time was 106.95 ± 122.15 s and 91.9 ± 122.58 s in the burned and unburned areas, respectively (Fig. 6 ). There were no significant differences between treatments (p = 1.0). 3.4. Correlation between water repellency and infiltration There was no significant association between infiltration and water repellency. 4. Discussion We observed no significant difference between burned and unburned. Therefore, prescribed fire did not significantly alter the physical properties of the soil. This is in line with our hypothesis. Like our study, the majority of previous studies indicated the absence of significant differences between burned (prescribed fire) and unburned areas (Table 1 ). The main reasons for such lack of diferences are as follows: (a) the absence of rainfall that contributed to the maintenance of aggregate stability (Ebel et al., 2022b ; Spera et al., 2000 ); (b) maintenance of soil organic matter content that acts as a soil aggregating agent and, consequently, favors the maintenance of infiltration (Granged et al, 2011b ; Strydom et al., 2019 ); (c) the low intensity of fire that prevents the recombination of soil particles which, as a consequence, assists in the maintenance of porosity (Chief et al., 2012 ), and (d) action of soil mesofauna (e.g. earthworms and oligochaetes) that cause soil aeration and favor water flow (Fischer et al., 2015; Mataix-Solera et al., 2011 ). All these explanations might apply to our study area. Thus, more studies are needed to pinpoint which of theses causes are at work. On the other hand, some studies found significant differences between burned and unburned sites (Table 1 ) which were attributed to: (a) at reduction of soil litter (biomass) that rain splash whcih, in turn, favor erosion (CAWSON et al., 2016) and (b) increased water repellency, which reduces infiltration and favors runoff (EBEL, 2020 ; CAWSON et al., 2016). Table 1 Mean infiltration capacity found in different studies under the burned and unburned treatments. Infiltration Capacity (mm/h) Unburned Burned Infiltration Method Vegetation Authors 20.5 4.1 * Constant Positive Charge Infiltrometer Eucalyptus Dry Forests Cawson et al., 2016 79.8 0.7 * Mini Disk Infiltrometer Conifers Ebel ( 2020 ) 77 60 NS USDA Swing Nozzle Rainfall Simulator Conifers Robichaud ( 2000 ) 78 49.2 NS Double Ring Infiltrometer Savanna Forests Savadogo et al. ( 2007 ) 33.9 26.6 NS Portable swing-arm rain simulator Artemisia Pierson et al. ( 2008 ) 119.4 158.7 NS Mini Disk Infiltrometer Srhub González-Pelayo et al. (2010) 61 31 NS Tension disk infiltrometer Savanna Strydom et al. ( 2019 ) 8.6 8.84 NS Mini Disk Infiltrometer Pines Wittenberg et al. (2020) 14.2 14.8 NS Mini Disk Infiltrometer Pines Lucas-Borja et al. (2023) 626.05 481.05 NS Mini Disk Infiltrometer Neotropical Savanna Presente estudo Asterisks (*) denote significant differences between unburned and burned area, while NS denotes no significant differences between unburned and burned área. In the present study, we also observed the absence of significant differences between treatments regarding water repellency. Such result differs from previous studies that have demonstrated increased water repellency after prescribed fires (Table 2 ), due to: (a) the formation of a subsurface (3 to 5 cm deep) water repellent layer (derived from the condensation of organic substances volatilized during the fire) (Robichaud and Hungeford, 2000 ; Hubbert et al., 2006 ; Jordán et al., 2010; Zavala et al., 2010; Mataix-Solera et al., 2011 ; Granged et al., 2011a ; Granged et al, 2011b ) and; (b) short time interval between prescribed fire event and sampling, since the greater the time interval between fire event and sampling, the greater the possibility of recovery to water repellency pre-fire levels (Robichaud, 2000 ; Hubbert et al., 2006 ; Savadogo et al., 2007 ; Keeley, 2009 ; González-Pelayo et al., 2010; Malkinson and Wittenberg, 2011 ; Plaza-Álvarez et al., 2019 ; Ebel, 2020 ; Carrá et al., 2021 ; Carrá et al., 2022 ; Ebel et al., 2022b ; Fardo-Cantos et al., 2023). On the other hand, other studies have already demonstrated a reduction in water repellency, due to: (a) prescribed fires that reached temperatures above 250 ºC which completely consume hydrophobic compounds present in the first soil layers (Robichaud and Hungerford, 2000; Zavala et al., 2010); (b) duration of the prescribed fire which, when above 5 minutes, consumes the hydrophobic compounds of the first soil layers (De Bano, 1981 ; Zavala et al., 2010) and; (c) lack of oxygen during prescribed fire, which makes the temperature thresholds for the dissipation of water repellency higher (Bryant et al., 2016). In this sense, possible explanations for our results include: (a) the present study focused on the surface soil layer (0 cm) and not on greater depths that, generally, usually present these significant differences right after prescribed fire and (b) sampling was carried out 45 days after prescribed fire. Therefore, prescribed fire can both favor maintenance and cause significant changes on water repellency, as previous studies have noted (Table 2 ). Table 2 Mean and standard deviation of soil water repellency found in different studies under the unburned and burned treatments. Water Drop Penetration Time (s) Unburned Burned Vegetation Authors 0 ± 0 173 ± 226 * Artemisia Pierson et al., 2008 45 ± 29 1591 ± 1567 * Eucalyptus Forest Granged et al., 2011a 95.6 ± 55.1 83 ± 63.6 NS Eucalyptus Forest Zavala et al., 2010 82.9 ± 109.38 139 ± 120.7 NS Pines Malkinson; Wittenberg, 2011 4.8 ± 8.2 3.9 ± 5.5 NS Pines Lucas-Borja et al., 2023 106.95 ± 122.15 91.9 ± 122.58 NS Neotropical Savanna Presente estudo Asterisks (*) denote significant differences between unburned and burned area, while NS denotes no significant differences between unburned and burned area. Finally, unlike what we found in the present study, previous studies documented that prescribed fire can also promote both positive (e.g. enhancing infiltration capacity, reducing both soil resistance to penetration and water repellency) or negative (raising soil bulk density and water repellency and reducing infiltration) significant changes (Robichaud and Hungeford, 2000 ; Zavala et al, 2010; Redin et al., 2011 ; Alcañiz et al., 2018 ; Li et al., 2022 ). When positively associated with soil physical properties, these significant differences occur, mainly due to: (a) the growth of root biomass, which causes the reduction of soil bulk density through the formation and stabilization of large granular aggregates and which can also favor water-repellency processes if the fire reaches ideal temperatures (Brye, 2006 ; Granged et al, 2011a ); (b) the soil meso and macrofauna that contribute to the creation of preferential water flow paths that favor infiltration, in addition to the decline in soil bulk density (Brye, 2006 ; Li et al, 2022 ); (c) to prescribed fires of moderate and high intensities (> 350 ºC), which completely eliminate water repellency and favor strong aggregation of soils in the subsurface (Granged et al., 2011a ; Granged et al, 2011b ; Mataix-Solera et al., 2011 ), and (d) to the decrease of evapotranspiration through the consumption of aboveground biomass, which maintains soil wettability and prevents the increase of water repellency (Atchley et al., 2018 ). However, when negatively associated, the significant differences are explained because of: (a) increased water water repellency that tends to decrease infiltration (Cawson et al., 2016; Plaza-Álvarez et al., 2018 ; Chen et al., 2020 ; Lucas-Borja et al., 2023); (b) increased soil bulk density caused by notable reduction of roots, soil biota, and organic matter (Phillips et al., 2000 ). 5. Conclusion The present study showed that prescribed fire did not promote changes in certain soil physical properties of a Neotropical savanna. With climate cahnge and the growing concern about the effects of wildfires on natural ecosystems, prescribed fire becomes tool to reduce flammability. Here we demonstrate that this reduction ocurrs with the lack of significant changes in the physical soil properties. Declarations Acknowledgements This study was partly financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Compenting interests The authors have not relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Author’s contributions The autors of this article contributed in all article, writing e correcting each detail from begin until the end. Including figures, graphics and tables. Funding This study was partly financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Availability of data and materials The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the correspondig authhor or reasonable request. References Alcañiz M, Outeiro L, Francos, Úbeda X (2018) Effects of prescribed fires on soil properties: A review. Science of the Total Environment 613-614:944-957 Alves RJV, Silva NG (2011) O fogo é sempre um vilão nos campos rupestres? 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Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 118:80-92 Simpson KJ, Jardine EC, Archibald S, Forrestel EJ, Lehmann CER, Thomas GH, Osborne CP (2021) Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders. New Phytologist 230:832–844 Spera ST, Reatto A, Correia JR, Silva JCS (2000) Características Físicas De Um Latossolo Vermelho-Escuro no Cerrado de Planaltina, DF, submetido à ação do fogo. Pesquisa Agropecuaria brasileira 35:1817–1824 STOLF R, MURAKAMI JH, BRUGNARO C, SILVA LG, SILVA LF, MARGARIDO LAC (2014) Penetrômetro de impacto Stolf – programa computacional de dados em Excel-VBA. Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo 38:774-782 Strydom T, Riddell ES, Rowe T, Govender N, Lorentz SA, Le Roux PAL, Wingley-Coetsee (2019) The effect of experimental fires on soil hydrology and nutrientes in na African savana. Geoderma 345:114-122 Teixeira J, Souza L, Le Stradic S, Fidelis A (2021) Fire promotes functional plant diversity and modifies soil carbon dynamics in tropical savanna. Science of The Total Environment 812:1-10 Wittenberg L (2020) Post-fire management treatment effects on soil properties and burned area reforestation in a widland-urban interface, Haifa Fire case study. Science of the Total Environment 716:1-10 Zhang R (1997) Determination of soil sorptivity and hydraulic conductivity from the disk infiltrometer. Soil Science Society of American Journal 61(4):1024-1030 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Nov, 2023 Read the published version in Environmental Processes → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revision 05 Sep, 2023 Reviews received at journal 24 Jul, 2023 Reviews received at journal 21 Jul, 2023 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Jul, 2023 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jul, 2023 Reviewers invited by journal 14 Jul, 2023 Editor assigned by journal 14 Jul, 2023 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Jul, 2023 First submitted to journal 06 Jul, 2023 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3146834","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":218526897,"identity":"5f5a3f28-8670-46a7-8572-cdc97ef5999a","order_by":0,"name":"Frederico Piontkowski","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABE0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZhBxAIh5GBs+gLj8IIGEAgJaDkC0NM4AcSUbQFoMCNgE0cLACNZiAOIw4NFizs587PGHMzaJ83sONzZXVFjLGZ9fnfjhgQGDPL/YAaxaLJvZ0g0O3EhL3HC2sbHxzJl0Y7MbbzdLAB1mOHN2AlYtBod5zCQOfDicu4Gfsf1hY9vhxG03zm4AaUkwuE1Ay/x+RqA1/w7Xb55xdvMPwlpuHM5tADmsseFwggF/7za8tgD9kiZx5kxa/YYzB4E6jqUbzrjBu80iwUACp1/M+Q8fk6g4ZmMs35P+sLGhxlqev//s5ps/Kmzk+aVxOAxTSAKsUgKrchxa+A/gVD0KRsEoGAUjEwAAzOtsKVLg23YAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Brasília","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Frederico","middleName":"","lastName":"Piontkowski","suffix":""},{"id":218526898,"identity":"2326e896-6fc7-4e23-9051-9cbbff841133","order_by":1,"name":"Luiz Felippe Salemi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Brasília","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luiz","middleName":"Felippe","lastName":"Salemi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-07-06 17:29:21","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3146834/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3146834/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-023-00674-3","type":"published","date":"2023-11-29T15:01:11+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":40255859,"identity":"901c8517-de86-46ac-8e41-c062a345a5c9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-07-19 14:14:36","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":674574,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLocation of the study area. (A) study area within Brazil; (B) Federal District and Brasília National Park (BNP); (C) the part of BNP where the study was carried out; (D) photo of the study area with contrasting burned (left) and unburned (right) adjacent sites.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/104b1ab86b76f5da328d89d4.png"},{"id":40255862,"identity":"f913a555-6e37-4d92-8c53-4e382ac1df19","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-07-19 14:14:36","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":752310,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eBurned (A) and unburned (B) adjacent sites within the Brazilian Tropical Savanna.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/8b69be5c8738028b6f92088d.png"},{"id":40255860,"identity":"1fa8d736-7274-480e-ae84-12ebb5a222d0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-07-19 14:14:36","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":444015,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSampling design used in the presente study. Four plots subjected to prescribed fire (“burned) were ramdomly located with their unburned counterparts (“unburned”) established 50 meters in the neotropical savanna which was not subjected to prescribed fire. There were five repetitions of each variable (infiltration capacity, water repellency, and soil penetration resistance) within each plot.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/2d56925c6b1c47384e8031b5.png"},{"id":40255856,"identity":"b4acc58c-682e-4fa4-9325-e34a6d32c4b1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-07-19 14:14:36","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":51333,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eBoxplot of the infiltration capacity of the burned and unburned areas. The horizontal lines inside the boxes indicate the medians (Q2), the lower lines outside the boxes indicate the first quartile (Q1), and the upper horizontal lines outside the boxes indicate the third quartile. The lower horizontal lines correspond to the minimum values, while the upper horizontal lines correspond to the maximum values. Equal letters within the graph indicate that there was no significant difference between treatments.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/31d5263e9846397612eb0a4d.png"},{"id":40257040,"identity":"1e24bdf6-abdf-4cb8-b4ad-2358b5d06933","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-07-19 14:22:36","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":21517,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSoil penetration resistance (cm) in a red latosol under burned and unburned area. Bars represent the mean. Error bars represent the standard deviation.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/f9a6dfe5bd4adfeaa87bdfd4.png"},{"id":40257039,"identity":"bf4a34f2-67a1-4ba6-babb-70bf1d31ce2c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-07-19 14:22:36","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":27432,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eBoxplot of water drop penetration time in burned and unburned areas. The horizontal lines inside the boxes indicate the medians (Q2), the lower lines outside the boxes indicate the first quartile (Q1), and the upper horizontal lines outside the box indicate the third quartile. The lower horizontal lines correspond to the minimum values, while the upper horizontal lines correspond to the maximum values. Equal letters within the graph indicate that there was no significant difference between treatments.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/2daf955b824211218ded1e2e.png"},{"id":47561070,"identity":"20a4b7b5-0967-4cee-bfbb-d957efeac8f0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-12-04 15:08:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2588219,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3146834/v1/9f709cbd-fea2-489a-9c31-004fa7ff294b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of Prescribed Fire on Soil Permeability in a Neotropical Savanna\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eFire is an environmental filter that has an important function within neotropical savanna ecosystems (Teixeira et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Fire has many important effects such as: (a) alters functional diversity and fluxes between the atmosphere and biosphere (Teixeira et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), (b) decreases fuel load (plant biomass) (Archibald et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), (c) favors the increase of shrub biomass through the emergence of basal shoots in woody plants that occur in fire-prone ecosystems (Lopes et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Le Stradic, 2021; Simpson et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), (d) stimulates greater production of absorptive roots than transport roots (Pausas et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), (e) causes nutrient losses, total habitat destruction, difficulty of animal escape to unburned sites and loss of biodiversity (Alves and Silva, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Durigan and Ratter, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFires might occur naturally or through anthropogenic activities (e.g. wildfires and prescribed fire). The former occurs through lightning (Pivello, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) that act as ignition which, combined with the increase in biomass, high temperatures and low humidity in the region (Teixeira et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) which may trigger low intensity or even wildfires (Pivello, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). The latter, on the other hand, can occur through anthropogenic activities with the purpose of converting natural ecosystems into agricultural areas (Klink and Machado, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e; Dutra and Souza, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) or through loss of control when cattle ranchers use fire to promote forage regrowth to increase palatability (Pivello and Norton, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). Finally, prescribed fire is used to deliberately control the amount of fuel in a given ecosystem. Generally prescribed fires are enforced by competent environmental agencies in order to avoid or reduce the occurence of wildfires (Alves and Silva, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Pivello et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Berlinck and Lima, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Prescribed fire generally has lower intensity and severity, and alters a lower amount of ecosystem (in terms of area) compared to wildfires (Pivello, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition to the impacts on biodiversity, wildfires also negatively affect the soil properties such as infiltration capacity, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, storage capacity and water retention (Neary et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, such alteration brings about the installation of erosive processes (Spera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e), increase in chemicals such as carbon and nitrogen in the soil (Le Stradic, 2021), alter moisture and favor hydro-repellency (Atanassova and Doerr, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Wildfires make soils more vulnerable to nutrient depletion since fire derived from such events is more intense, long-lasting, and uncontrolled (Agbeshie et al., 2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn order to reduce the negative impacts that wildfires cause on soil properties, prescribed fire becomes an option because it has the potential to reduce fuel load. Prescribed fire cause lower and even positive changes to soil properties compared to wildfires, because they are low-intensity events that tend to be faster and are usually extinguished on the same day (Neto and Soares, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; Ferreira et al., 2010; Blum et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Despite demonstrating the effects of prescribed fire on soil physicochemical properties, such as increased pH and increased nutrient availability (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, PO43-, NH4+), studies about the effects of prescribed fire on soil physicochemical attributes are still incipient (Figueiredo et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; N\u0026oacute;brega et al., 2017; Agbeshie et al., 2022; Ebel et al., 2022a).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalyzing the impacts that prescribed fire can cause on soil physical properties will allow to understand the complex relationship of fire, especially prescribed fire, with soil physical-hydric attributes (hydrophobicity, infiltration and resistance to penetration) that still deserve attention (Brito et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e, Lima 2021). The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of prescribed fire on some soil physical-hydric properties - infiltration capacity, penetration resistance and hydrophobicity. Given that prescribed fire maintains low temperatures that do not allow the total removal of the tree canopy, organic matter and microorganisms (Ferreira et al., 2010), we hypothesize that prescribed fire, in natural areas of the Brazilian Tropical Savanna, does not alter the soil physical-hydric properties.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Study Area\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study area is the Brasilia National Park which is located in the administrative region (AR) of Plano Piloto, Federal District, Brazil (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The altitude is approximately 1250 m with a tropical climate Aw (Koppen-Geiger) with two distinct seasons: wet and dry. The soil is classified as an oxisol (clayey texture) located on the tops of the plateau.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe selected an area of BNP which was subjected to prescribed fire by the envrionmental agency (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation - ICMBIO) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). These are usually the boundaries of BNP where prescribed fire is used to reduce the amount of fuel. Such action reduces the probability of a fire originated outside the BNP entering the park.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Instruments\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe MiniDisk infiltrometer, dropper and impact penetrometer were used to verify the infiltration capacity, water repellency and soil resistance, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe MiniDisk infiltrometer is a tension infiltrometer that operates from 0 to -7 cm suction rate and uses the analytical solution proposed by Zhang (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e) to the calculation of hydraulic conductivity (Lima et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). In order to reach the highest range of pores, we set the suction of the infiltrometer to 0. Measurements were taken at a constant interval until steady state infiltration was found for at least three consecutive times.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA dropper was used to add a standard 5 ml drop of water to the soil. The time needed to infiltrate such drop was recorded and used to classify the soil according to the water drop penetration time test (WDPT) (De Bano, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoil penetration resistance was measured using the Stolf impact penetrometer which consists of 2kg-rod which drives the penetration of the equipment into the soil. The 2-kg-rod is subjected to a free fall which causes an impact that will promote the penetration of the rod that is in contact with the soil. The soil penetration resistance is calculated following Stolf (2014).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Sampling Design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn total, eight plots (1m x 1m) were chosen within the neotropical savanna of the Brasilia National Park. Four plots were located in a region subjected to prescribed fire (hereafter \u0026ldquo;burned\u0026rdquo;) and four with neotropical savanna that did not burn (hereafter \u0026ldquo;unburned\u0026rdquo;). Once a plot were chosen in a burned savanna, an adjacent unburned site were paired. Burned plot were randomized using a randomizer app. Four numbers from 1 to 400 were randimized and plots were placed in such number within the 400-m transect.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn each plot infiltration, water repellency and soil resistance to penetration were measured foollowing the sampling design depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. Five repetitions for each variable were taken within each plot.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn each plot infiltration, water repellency and soil resistance to penetration were measured foollowing the sampling design depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. Five repetitions for each variable were taken within each plot.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.4. Statistical Analyses\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe spatial independence of the variables was tested using Moran test. There was no detection of spatial autocorrelation for any of the variables. The distribution of the residuals of the variables, as well as the homogeneity of variances were evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, respectively. The residuals of the infiltration and penetration resistance data (impacts 0, 1 and 2) presented normal distribution. Furthermore, both infiltration capacity and soil resistance to penetration presented homogeneity of variance. For these cases, an unpaired t-test was used to test the differences between areas subjected and not subjected to prescribed fire. Water repellency showed non-normal distribution and homogeneity of variance. Therefore, a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used for water repellency. Spearman's test was used to verify the degree of association between infiltration capacity and water repellency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll analyses were performed in the Statistical Package PAST 4.09 at a significance level α\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1. Infiltration\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe infiltration capacity ranged from 195 to 888 mm h-1 in the burned areas whereas this range was 131 and 845 mm h-1 in the unburned areas (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The overall average infiltration capacity obtained was 481.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;279.41 mm h-1 and 626.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;292.53 mm h-1 in the burned and unburned areas, respectively. There was no significant difference between treatments (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.55).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2. Soil Penetration Resistance\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mean depth found at impact 0 of the burned and unburned areas was 19.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.38 cm and 19.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14 cm, respectively. Whereas the mean depth found in impact 1 of the treatments was 8.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.46 cm (burned areas) and 6.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.11 cm (unburned areas), while the mean depth found in impact 2 of the treatments was 11.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.99 (burned areas) and 6.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.47 (unburned areas).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere was no significant difference between treatments for any of the impacts (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3. Water repellency\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average water drop penetration time was 106.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;122.15 s and 91.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;122.58 s in the burned and unburned areas, respectively (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). There were no significant differences between treatments (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.0).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4. Correlation between water repellency and infiltration\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere was no significant association between infiltration and water repellency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eWe observed no significant difference between burned and unburned. Therefore, prescribed fire did not significantly alter the physical properties of the soil. This is in line with our hypothesis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLike our study, the majority of previous studies indicated the absence of significant differences between burned (prescribed fire) and unburned areas (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The main reasons for such lack of diferences are as follows: (a) the absence of rainfall that contributed to the maintenance of aggregate stability (Ebel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e; Spera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e); (b) maintenance of soil organic matter content that acts as a soil aggregating agent and, consequently, favors the maintenance of infiltration (Granged et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011b\u003c/span\u003e; Strydom et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e); (c) the low intensity of fire that prevents the recombination of soil particles which, as a consequence, assists in the maintenance of porosity (Chief et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), and (d) action of soil mesofauna (e.g. earthworms and oligochaetes) that cause soil aeration and favor water flow (Fischer et al., 2015; Mataix-Solera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). All these explanations might apply to our study area. Thus, more studies are needed to pinpoint which of theses causes are at work. On the other hand, some studies found significant differences between burned and unburned sites (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) which were attributed to: (a) at reduction of soil litter (biomass) that rain splash whcih, in turn, favor erosion (CAWSON et al., 2016) and (b) increased water repellency, which reduces infiltration and favors runoff (EBEL, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; CAWSON et al., 2016).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean infiltration capacity found in different studies under the burned and unburned treatments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInfiltration Capacity (mm/h)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnburned\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBurned\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInfiltration Method\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVegetation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConstant Positive Charge Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEucalyptus Dry Forests\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCawson et al., 2016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMini Disk Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConifers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEbel (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUSDA Swing Nozzle Rainfall Simulator\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConifers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRobichaud (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDouble Ring Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSavanna Forests\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSavadogo et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePortable swing-arm rain simulator\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArtemisia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePierson et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e119.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e158.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMini Disk Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSrhub\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGonz\u0026aacute;lez-Pelayo et al. (2010)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTension disk infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSavanna\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrydom et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMini Disk Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePines\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWittenberg et al. (2020)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMini Disk Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePines\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLucas-Borja et al. (2023)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e626.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e481.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMini Disk Infiltrometer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeotropical Savanna\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePresente estudo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAsterisks (*) denote significant differences between unburned and burned area, while NS denotes no significant differences between unburned and burned \u0026aacute;rea.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, we also observed the absence of significant differences between treatments regarding water repellency. Such result differs from previous studies that have demonstrated increased water repellency after prescribed fires (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e), due to: (a) the formation of a subsurface (3 to 5 cm deep) water repellent layer (derived from the condensation of organic substances volatilized during the fire) (Robichaud and Hungeford, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Hubbert et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Jord\u0026aacute;n et al., 2010; Zavala et al., 2010; Mataix-Solera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Granged et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011a\u003c/span\u003e; Granged et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011b\u003c/span\u003e) and; (b) short time interval between prescribed fire event and sampling, since the greater the time interval between fire event and sampling, the greater the possibility of recovery to water repellency pre-fire levels (Robichaud, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Hubbert et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Savadogo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Keeley, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Gonz\u0026aacute;lez-Pelayo et al., 2010; Malkinson and Wittenberg, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Plaza-\u0026Aacute;lvarez et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Ebel, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Carr\u0026aacute; et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Carr\u0026aacute; et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Ebel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e; Fardo-Cantos et al., 2023). On the other hand, other studies have already demonstrated a reduction in water repellency, due to: (a) prescribed fires that reached temperatures above 250 \u0026ordm;C which completely consume hydrophobic compounds present in the first soil layers (Robichaud and Hungerford, 2000; Zavala et al., 2010); (b) duration of the prescribed fire which, when above 5 minutes, consumes the hydrophobic compounds of the first soil layers (De Bano, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e; Zavala et al., 2010) and; (c) lack of oxygen during prescribed fire, which makes the temperature thresholds for the dissipation of water repellency higher (Bryant et al., 2016). In this sense, possible explanations for our results include: (a) the present study focused on the surface soil layer (0 cm) and not on greater depths that, generally, usually present these significant differences right after prescribed fire and (b) sampling was carried out 45 days after prescribed fire. Therefore, prescribed fire can both favor maintenance and cause significant changes on water repellency, as previous studies have noted (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean and standard deviation of soil water repellency found in different studies under the unburned and burned treatments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWater Drop Penetration Time (s)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnburned\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBurned\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVegetation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e173\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;226\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArtemisia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePierson et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1591\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1567\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEucalyptus Forest\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGranged et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011a\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;55.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;63.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEucalyptus Forest\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZavala et al., 2010\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;109.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e139\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;120.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePines\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMalkinson; Wittenberg, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePines\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLucas-Borja et al., 2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e106.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;122.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e91.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;122.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeotropical Savanna\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePresente estudo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAsterisks (*) denote significant differences between unburned and burned area, while NS denotes no significant differences between unburned and burned area.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinally, unlike what we found in the present study, previous studies documented that prescribed fire can also promote both positive (e.g. enhancing infiltration capacity, reducing both soil resistance to penetration and water repellency) or negative (raising soil bulk density and water repellency and reducing infiltration) significant changes (Robichaud and Hungeford, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Zavala et al, 2010; Redin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Alca\u0026ntilde;iz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Li et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). When positively associated with soil physical properties, these significant differences occur, mainly due to: (a) the growth of root biomass, which causes the reduction of soil bulk density through the formation and stabilization of large granular aggregates and which can also favor water-repellency processes if the fire reaches ideal temperatures (Brye, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Granged et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011a\u003c/span\u003e); (b) the soil meso and macrofauna that contribute to the creation of preferential water flow paths that favor infiltration, in addition to the decline in soil bulk density (Brye, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Li et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e); (c) to prescribed fires of moderate and high intensities (\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;350 \u0026ordm;C), which completely eliminate water repellency and favor strong aggregation of soils in the subsurface (Granged et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011a\u003c/span\u003e; Granged et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011b\u003c/span\u003e; Mataix-Solera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e), and (d) to the decrease of evapotranspiration through the consumption of aboveground biomass, which maintains soil wettability and prevents the increase of water repellency (Atchley et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). However, when negatively associated, the significant differences are explained because of: (a) increased water water repellency that tends to decrease infiltration (Cawson et al., 2016; Plaza-\u0026Aacute;lvarez et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Chen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Lucas-Borja et al., 2023); (b) increased soil bulk density caused by notable reduction of roots, soil biota, and organic matter (Phillips et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe present study showed that prescribed fire did not promote changes in certain soil physical properties of a Neotropical savanna. With climate cahnge and the growing concern about the effects of wildfires on natural ecosystems, prescribed fire becomes tool to reduce flammability. Here we demonstrate that this reduction ocurrs with the lack of significant changes in the physical soil properties.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was partly financed by the Coordena\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de Aperfei\u0026ccedil;oamento de Pessoal de N\u0026iacute;vel Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001. The authors declare no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompenting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors have not relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Author\u0026rsquo;s contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe autors of this article contributed in all article, writing e correcting each detail from begin until the end. Including figures, graphics and tables.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was partly financed by the Coordena\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de Aperfei\u0026ccedil;oamento de Pessoal de N\u0026iacute;vel Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001. The authors declare no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the correspondig authhor or reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlca\u0026ntilde;iz M, Outeiro L, Francos, \u0026Uacute;beda X (2018) Effects of prescribed fires on soil properties: A review. 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ISA Press, Lisboa, pp 21-48\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFreitas WB, Spletozer AG, Silveira LJ, Barbosa RA (2021) Influ\u0026ecirc;ncia do uso e manejo do solo na infiltra\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o de \u0026aacute;gua: uma revis\u0026atilde;o. In: Guimar\u0026atilde;es LB, Freitas PG (ed). Meio ambiente: gest\u0026atilde;o preserva\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o e desenvolvimento sustent\u0026aacute;vel. 3\u0026ordf; ed. E-publicar, Rio De Janeiro pp 417-434\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGranged AJP, Jord\u0026aacute;n A, Zavala LM, Mu\u0026ntilde;oz-Rojas M, Mataix-Solera J (2011a) Short-term effects of experimental fire for a soil under eucalyptus forest (SE Australia). Geoderma 167-168:125-134\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGranged AJP, Zavala LM, Jord\u0026aacute;n A, B\u0026aacute;rcenas-Moreno G (2011b) Post-fire evolution of soil properties and vegetation cover in a Mediterranean heathland after experimental burning: a 3-year study. 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Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics 70(4):450-461\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLima FP, Almeida FPS, Mendon\u0026ccedil;a-Filho SF, Murta JRM (2020) Water infiltration in the Brazilian tropical savanna: the case of Cerrado t\u0026iacute;pico. Journal of Biotechnology and Biodiversity 8(3):165\u0026ndash;171 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLopes SF, Vale VS, Schiavini I (2009) Efeito das queimadas sobre a estrutura e composi\u0026ccedil;\u0026atilde;o da comunidade vegetal lenhosa do Cerrado sentido restrito em Caldas Novas - GO. Revista \u0026Aacute;rvore 33(4):695-704\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLucas-Borja ME (2023) Exploring the factors influencing the hydrological response of soil after low and high-severity fires with post-fire mulching in Mediterranean forests. 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Soil Science Society of American Journal 61(4):1024-1030\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-processes","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"enpr","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Processes](https://www.springer.com/journal/40710)","snPcode":"40710","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40710/3","title":"Environmental Processes","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Fire, Prescribed Fires, Infiltration Capacity, Water Repellency, Penetration Resistance","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3146834/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3146834/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePrescribed fire is a manner to decrease the amount of fuel which, otherwise, would be subjected to wild fires. However, the effect of such practice on soil physical properties still needs attention. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of prescribed fire on some physical variables of a soil under the Brazilian Tropical Savanna, a fire-prone ecosystem. To do so, we sampled water repellency, infiltration capacity, and soil resistance to penetration in burned (prescribed fire) and unburned adjacent plots. There were no significant differences between burned and unburned plots for any of the variables. Therefore, in addition to the clear effects with respect to ecosystem flammability, here we demonstrated that prescribed fire does not significantly alter soil physical properties in the Brazilian Tropical Savanna. This demonstrates the soil physical properties maintenance under low intensity fire regimes.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of Prescribed Fire on Soil Permeability in a Neotropical Savanna","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2023-07-19 14:14:31","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3146834/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major revision","date":"2023-09-05T10:53:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2023-07-24T17:53:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2023-07-21T16:44:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"0635bcb8-ee61-4bfd-8a02-eb8b49c8bd30","date":"2023-07-16T09:26:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"2c9af874-9f12-4c51-8e61-4280a4443430","date":"2023-07-14T16:09:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2023-07-14T11:51:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2023-07-14T08:34:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2023-07-14T08:10:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Environmental Processes","date":"2023-07-06T17:19:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-processes","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"enpr","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Processes](https://www.springer.com/journal/40710)","snPcode":"40710","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40710/3","title":"Environmental Processes","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9b9e8717-4578-48cd-b1a6-e31c39568451","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 19th, 2023","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2023-12-04T15:03:35+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-3146834","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-023-00674-3","journal":{"identity":"environmental-processes","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Environmental Processes"},"publishedOn":"2023-11-29 15:01:11","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 29th, 2023"},"versionCreatedAt":"2023-07-19 14:14:31","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s40710-023-00674-3","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-023-00674-3","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3146834","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3146834","identity":"rs-3146834","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"7rjqhiLT3MXkJMwkYKINL","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}