Limited overall impacts of ectomycorrhizal inoculation on recruitment of boreal trees into Arctic tundra following wildfire belie species-specific responses.

ABSTRACT: We tested whether post-fire seedling establishment of common boreal tree and expanding shrub species at treeline and in Arctic tundra is facilitated by co-migration of boreal forest mycorrhizal fungi. Wildfires are anticipated to facilitate biome shifts at the forest-tundra ecotone by improving seedbed conditions for recruiting boreal species; at the same time fire alters the composition and availability of mycorrhizal fungi critical to seedling performance. To determine the role of root-associated fungi (RAF) in post-fire seedling recruitment and future biome shifts, we outplanted four dominant boreal tree and shrub species inoculated with one of three treatments at treeline and in tundra: burned boreal forest, unburned boreal forest, or a control treatment of sterilized inoculum. We comp

SUBMITTER: Hewitt RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7347221 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature