Host identity affects the response of mycorrhizal fungal communities to high severity fires in Alaskan boreal forests

Abstract

Ongoing climate change in the boreal forests of western North America is associated with wildfires which are increasing in extent and severity, thus impacting mycorrhizal fungal communities through fungal mortality and shifts in host species and age. We planted three native tree species, Picea mariana, Picea glauca, and Populous tremuloides, and non-native Pinus contorta var. latifolia at 22 post-fire sites, encompassing wide variation in fire severity and environmental gradients, across Interior Alaska. We characterized fungal community composition using Illumina MiSeq. Fire severity had a greater impact on fungal composition than the environmental variables we considered. There were large shifts in fungal Phyla and guilds with high severity, but these shifts were dependent on host tree species. We also found pine-specific fungi on Pinus contorta var. latifolia. These data suggest that shifts in mycorrhizal fungal communities from increases in fire severity may be exacerbated by associated changes in plant successional trajectories and host composition.