Evidence that pyrophilous fungi aggregate soil after forest fire

Forest fire is an important occurrence in western landscapes where it helps drive ecosystem processes, and prescribed a common forest management strategy. An initial consequence of burned ground with reduced biodiversity. Numerous studies have documented how forests recover after terms plant regeneration animal colonization, but little known the ecological roles fungi play this process. Pyrophilous (burn-loving) are to reliably produce large fruitings copious mycelium on burns North America, Europe, Asia, Australia. We hypothesize that pyrophilous help bind stabilize soil fires via their extensive mycelial network. Three fungi, Geopyxis carbonaria, Pyronema omphalodes, Morchella septimelata were tested for ability aggregate soil. The isolated from burn sites, grown vitro, inoculated onto sterilized natural burn. each species comparison non-inoculated controls was assessed 10, 20, 30, 40 days, using wet sieve stability test. All three increased aggregation 10 increase maintained 40-day period. up 30% more aggregated when fungus present; results provide first direct evidence This further implies these role reducing erosion enhancing moisture soon forests. also decompose charred material, sequester carbon, capture transient nitrogen pulses fire. overlooked group may be critical conditions at early stage recovery. Consideration should given avoiding or delaying restoration activities disturb process, especially those contribute compaction, during post-fire recovery proliferating.