AUTHOR=Day Nicola J. , Cumming Steven G. , Dunfield Kari E. , Johnstone Jill F. , Mack Michelle C. , Reid Kirsten A. , Turetsky Merritt R. , Walker Xanthe J. , Baltzer Jennifer L. TITLE=Identifying Functional Impacts of Heat-Resistant Fungi on Boreal Forest Recovery After Wildfire JOURNAL=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change VOLUME=3 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00068 DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2020.00068 ISSN=2624-893X ABSTRACT=
Fungi play key roles in carbon (C) dynamics of ecosystems: saprotrophs decompose organic material and return C in the nutrient cycle, and mycorrhizal species support plants that accumulate C through photosynthesis. The identities and functions of extremophile fungi present after fire can influence C dynamics, particularly because plant-fungal relationships are often species-specific. However, little is known about the function and distribution of fungi that survive fires. We aim to assess the distribution of heat-resistant soil fungi across burned stands of boreal forest in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and understand their functions in relation to decomposition and tree seedling growth. We cultured and identified fungi from heat-treated soils and linked sequences from known taxa with high throughput sequencing fungal data (Illumina MiSeq, ITS1) from soils collected in 47 plots. We assessed functions under controlled conditions by inoculating litter and seedlings with heat-resistant fungi to assess decomposition and effects on seedling growth, respectively, for black spruce (