Increased heat resistance in mycelia from wood fungi prevalent in forests characterized by fire : a possible adaptation to forest fire.

• AbstractForest fire has for a long time been the major stand replacing/modifying disturbance in boreal forests. For organisms to adopt to this phenomenon different strategies for protective measurements has evolved. This study focuses on the organism group of wood fungi, and one of several possibilities for adaptation to forest fire - increased heat resistance in the mycelia. 16 species of wood fungi where selected and sorted a priori according to their prevalence for fire affected substrate. These were isolated and re-inoculated on pine wood before testing. Experiments where done in a series where the mycelia was exposed to 100, 140, 180, 220°C for 5, 10, 15, 20, 15 min. A very clear difference was found, the group containing species with a prevalence for a fire affected substrate had a much higher survival rate over all combinations of time and temperature compared to species with a more general ecology. This data suggests that increased heat resistance in mycelia could be a possible adaptation to forest fire. This in turn has major impacts on the ecology and population dynamics of wood fungi. An increase in temperature could shift the population structure in a log, allowing minor non fruiting mycelia content to expand on the expense of earlier dominant colonizers. Furthermore this study has implications on how to control prescribed restoration burning events. When burning areas where the dead wood content is dominated by early decay stages, loss of species can be avoided by proper management.

Nyckelord

Adaptation; Basidiomycetes; Competition; Dead wood; Ecology; Forest fire; Mycelia; Resistance to heat; Restoration fires; Saprotrophic

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