Severity of forest wildfire had a major influence on early successional ectomycorrhizal macrofungi assemblages, including edible mushrooms

We conclude that fire affects ECM assemblages and that the severity of a wildfire is connected to post-fire patterns of ECM richness and composition. The results suggest a functional link between wildfire and post-fire tree growth, mediated through the effects of fire on ECM. These connections may be important in maintaining small-scale, within-stand spatial heterogeneity in the natural post-disturbance forests.