Fire Limits Soil Microbial Dispersal and Differentially Impacts Bacterial and Fungal Communities.

ABSTRACT: Fire is a globally pervasive force reshaping ecosystems, yet its influence on the ecological processes structuring soil microbiomes remains poorly understood. Using a meta-analysis of > 2600 amplicon sequencing samples across 19 global studies, we tested whether fire alters soil microbiome assembly processes, diversity, and ecological selection for pyrophilic specialists. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, we found that fire did not significantly shift ecological selection processes in bacteria or fungi but instead constrained dispersal, particularly reducing dispersal in bacterial and fungal communities and increasing ecological drift in fungi. Despite limited evidence for ecological selection, fire consistently filtered for specialist taxa, increasing their relative abundance across mic

SUBMITTER: Hopkins JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12317307 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature