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Abstract
<p class="first" id="P1">While the negative effects of infrequent, high-intensity
fire on soil fungal abundance
are well-understood, it remains unclear how the short-term history of frequent, low-intensity
fire in fire-dependent ecosystems impacts abundance, and whether this history governs
any abundance declines. We used prescribed fire to experimentally alter the short-term
fire history of patches within a fire-frequented old-growth pine savanna over a 3
y period. We then quantified fungal abundance before and after the final fire using
phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) assays and Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR). Short-term
fire history largely did not affect total fungal abundance nor pre- to post-fire abundance
shifts. While producing similar conclusions, PLFA and ddPCR data were not correlated.
In addition to piloting a new method to quantify soil fungal abundance, our findings
indicate that, within fire-frequented pine savannas, recurrent fires do not consistently
decrease total fungal abundance, and abundance changes are not contingent upon short-term
fire history. This suggests that many fungi in fire-dependent ecosystems are fire-tolerant.
</p>