Teng Yang1, Leho Tedersoo2, Xingwu Lin1, Matthew C Fitzpatrick3, Yunsheng Jia1, Xu Liu1, Yingying Ni1, Yu Shi1, Pengpeng Lu4, Jianguo Zhu1, Haiyan Chu1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, East Beijing Road 71, Nanjing, 210008, China. 2. Natural History Museum, University of Tartu, 14a Ravila, Tartu, 50411, Estonia. 3. Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Centre for Environmental Science, Frostburg, MD, 21531, USA. 4. Microbiology Institute of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xiying Road 76, Xi'an, 710043, China.
Abstract
Soil fungi represent a major component of below-ground biodiversity that determines the succession and recovery of forests after disturbance. However, their successional trajectories and driving mechanisms following wildfire remain unclear. We examined fungal biomass, richness, composition and enzymes across three soil horizons (Oe, A1 and A2) along a near-complete fire chronosequence (1, 2, 8, 14, 30, 49 and c. 260 yr) in cold-temperate forests of the Great Khingan Mountains, China. The importance of soil properties, spatial distance and tree composition were also tested. Ectomycorrhizal fungal richness and β-glucosidase activity were strongly reduced by burning and significantly increased with 'time since fire' in the Oe horizon but not in the mineral horizons. Time since fire and soil C : N ratio were the primary drivers of fungal composition in the Oe and A1/A2 horizons, respectively. Ectomycorrhizal fungal composition was remarkably sensitive to fire history in the Oe horizon, while saprotroph community was strongly affected by time since fire in the deeper soil horizon and this effect emerged 18 years after fire in the A2 horizon. Our study demonstrates pronounced horizon-dependent successional trajectories following wildfire and indicates interactive effects of time since fire, soil stoichiometry and spatial distance in the reassembly of below-ground fungal communities in a cold and fire-prone region.
Soil fungi represent a major component of below-ground biodiversity that determines the succession and recovery of forests after disturbance. However, their successional trajectories and driving mechanisms following wildfire remain unclear. We examined fungal biomass, richness, composition and enzymes across three soil horizons (Oe, A1 and A2) along a near-complete fire chronosequence (1, 2, 8, 14, 30, 49 and c. 260 yr) in cold-temperate forests of the Great Khingan Mountains, China. The importance of soil properties, spatial distance and tree composition were also tested. Ectomycorrhizal fungal richness and β-glucosidase activity were strongly reduced by burning and significantly increased with 'time since fire' in the Oe horizon but not in the mineral horizons. Time since fire and soil C : N ratio were the primary drivers of fungal composition in the Oe and n class="Gene">A1/A2 horizons, respectively. Ectomycorrhizal fungal composition was remarkably sensitive to fire history in the Oe horizon, while saprotroph community was strongly affected by time since fire in the deeper soil horizon and this effect emerged 18 years after fire in the A2 horizon. Our study demonstrates pronounced horizon-dependent successional trajectories following wildfire and indicates interactive effects of time since fire, soil stoichiometry and spatial distance in the reassembly of below-ground fungal communities in a cold and fire-prone region.
Authors: Amelia R Nelson; Adrienne B Narrowe; Charles C Rhoades; Timothy S Fegel; Rebecca A Daly; Holly K Roth; Rosalie K Chu; Kaela K Amundson; Robert B Young; Andrei S Steindorff; Stephen J Mondo; Igor V Grigoriev; Asaf Salamov; Thomas Borch; Michael J Wilkins Journal: Nat Microbiol Date: 2022-08-25 Impact factor: 30.964