Survival of Suillus pungens and Amanita francheti ectomycorrhizal genets was rare or absent after a stand-replacing wildfire

Abstract

We looked for evidence of mycelial survival by Suillus pungens and Amanita francheti following a stand-replacing wildfire. These species were selected because we had previously mapped and genotyped their fruiting bodies in the pre-fire forest. Mycelial survival was investigated in two ways. First, we sampled seedlings in areas where these species had fruited abundantly before the fire, and second, we collected and genotyped mushrooms of S. pungens. Neither species was detected on seedlings within the areas sampled, and A. francheti was not detected in any above- or below-ground samples after the fire. Genetic evidence from S. pungens revealed that post-fire genets were small and numerous, and none were found to be identical to the genets sampled prior to the fire. From these results we conclude that A. francheti was not a common survivor or an early colonist of the post-fire forest, and that spores are the primary means by which S. pungens recolonized. If mycelial survival occurred in either species, it must have been relatively rare. © New Phytologist (2002).