Changes in sporocarp production and vegetation following wildfire in a Mediterranean Forest Ecosystem dominated by Pinus nigra in Northern Spain

• We studied the fungal production changes in P. nigra forests affected by fire.
• Quick recovery of fungal production and richness is observed 5 years after fire.
• Fungal community varies according to stage and vegetative succession.
• Mixture of hosts after fire may result in a more complex and resilient ecosystem.

In Mediterranean forests, wildfires are a common feature which profoundly alters vegetation and its associated fungal communities. While a great deal of research has been advocated to the study of plant communities affected by forest fires, our knowledge on the interactions between fire occurrence and development of fungal communities is still scarce.The aim of this work was to study the changes triggered by wildfires in the mycoflora of a Pinus nigra artificial stand in Northern Spain.Sporocarps were collected and identified from a set of three 100 m2 transects at each one and five year old burned areas and an unburned adjacent area. Then, fungal species richness, biomass production and species composition was analyzed as dependent on time after fire, and also considering aspects as edibility and fungal life form.Sporocarp production and mycorrhizal and edible species richness were strongly affected just after fire, but few differences respect to unburned areas were observed only five years after the disturbance. Also, specific fungal communities composition was correlated with successive stages after fire. This was likely because of the different vegetation composition found at different stages, with species typically connected to Pinus, Quercus and Cistus in the areas where each one of them predominated.Promoting a mixture of host species just following fire by leaving the pioneer species during the implantation of new forest stands, could result in a prompt recovery of the associated fungal community, adding extra ecological value to these forests.