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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Paige M. Hansen; Tatiana A. Semenova-Nelsen; William J. Platt; Benjamin A. Sikes
Publication Date: 2019

While the negative effects of infrequent, high-intensity fire on soil fungal abundance are well-understood, it remains unclear how the short-term history of frequent, low-intensity fire in fire-dependent ecosystems impacts abundance, and whether this history governs any abundance declines. We used prescribed fire to experimentally alter the short-term fire history of patches within a fire-frequented old-growth pine savanna over a 3 y period. We then quantified fungal abundance before and after the final fire using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) assays and Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR). Short-term fire history largely did not affect total fungal abundance nor pre-to post-fire abundance shifts. While producing similar conclusions, PLFA and ddPCR data were not correlated. In addition to piloting a new method to quantify soil fungal abundance, our findings indicate that, within fire-frequented pine savannas, recurrent fires do not consistently decrease total fungal abundance, and abundance changes are not contingent upon short-term fire history. This suggests that many fungi in fire-dependent ecosystems are fire-tolerant.

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Citation: Hansen, Paige M.; Semenova-Nelsen, Tatiana A.; Platt, William J.; Sikes, Benjamin A. 2019. Recurrent fires do not affect the abundance of soil fungi in a frequently burned pine savanna. Fungal Ecology 42:100852.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • fire intensity
  • fire tolerance
  • fungal communities
  • Georgia
  • pine savannas
  • species abundance
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 58640