New study sheds light on how forest microbes survive megafires

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New study sheds light on how forest microbes survive megafires

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According to a new study from the University of California, Riverside, the fungi and bacteria that may survive megafires in redwood and tanoak woods are microbes "cousins" that commonly multiply after being exposed to the flames.

Megafires are becoming more common. Megafires are described as fires of unparalleled scale and severity. In the western United States, climate change is producing greater temperatures and earlier snow melt, extending the dry season, when trees are most prone to wildfires.

While other ecosystems have evolved to cope with less powerful fires, little is known about how plants and their associated soil microbiomes react to megafires.

According to Sydney Glassman, a mycologist and the study’s primary author, plants are unlikely to recover from megafires unless there are helpful fungi that feed nutrients to roots and bacteria that digest excess carbon and nitrogen in post-fire soil. A solid understanding of microorganisms is critical to any forest restoration success.

A team from the University of California, Riverside, released a paper in the journal Molecular Ecology that contributes significantly to this field.

The research is significant not just because it looks at the effects of megafires on redwood and tanoak forest microorganisms, but also because it addresses another issue. Before and immediately after the 2016 Soberanes fire, soil samples were obtained from identical plots of land in Monterey County, and the results were analysed.

“To get this kind of data, a researcher would almost have to burn the plot themselves. It’s so tough to predict exactly where there will be a burn.” As noted by Glassman,

california wildfire
Example of a Californian Megafire

Resiliant Microbes.

The researchers were not surprised to see that the Soberanes fire had a major influence on bacterial and fungal populations, with some microbe species falling by up to 70% as a result of the fire. They were surprised to learn that some yeast and bacteria not only survived, but thrived following the fire.

Actinobacteria, which aid in the decomposition of plant matter, have grown in number. Firmicutes, which are renowned for encouraging plant development, assisting in the control of plant diseases, and remediating soils tainted with heavy metals, were also found to be up (among other functions).

The abundance of Basidioascus yeast has increased, and it has been determined that it is capable of destroying a wide range of wood components. Lignin, a powerful component of plant cell walls that gives structure and resistance to insect assault, was one of these components.

Certain bacteria may have discovered new ways to reproduce in burn-scarred soils, allowing them to thrive. “Penicillium is probably taking advantage of food released from necromass, or ‘dead bodies,’ and some species may also be able to eat charcoal,” Glassman explains.

The fact that fungi and bacteria—both those that survived and those that died in the megafire—appears to be genetically connected is arguably the most eye-opening.

According to Glassman, all bacteria have adaptive features that enable them to respond to fire, which improves our capacity to forecast how bacteria would react to such events, whether positively or negatively.

Fungus and the wide range of environmental consequences that they can have are poorly understood in general. It’s critical that research like this keeps identifying techniques for assisting in the environmental rehabilitation following a forest fire.

The fact that there are so few mycologists in the world is one reason for the overall lack of understanding when it comes to fungi. However, they have significant consequences, particularly in the aftermath of large fires, which are becoming increasingly common and catastrophic in the United States and around the world.


Story Source: Original story written by Jules Bernstein at University of California – Riverside. Note: Content may be edited for style and length by Scible News.


References

Dylan J. Enright et al, Mega‐fire in redwood tanoak forest reduces bacterial and fungal richness and selects for pyrophilous taxa that are phylogenetically conserved, Molecular Ecology (2022). DOI: 10.1111/mec.16399.  Scible: 2PVK8OM

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