The 2020 Dome Fire in the Mojave Desert killed an estimated one million Eastern Joshua trees and burned about 43,000 acres. Scientists expected that underground life, including beneficial fungi, would be badly damaged where trees died.
New research published in Fire Ecology reports a different outcome. Teams led by UC Riverside repeatedly sampled burned and unburned soils from just over two weeks after the fire through three years. The researchers found no detectable declines in fungal biomass, microbial richness, or the overall abundance of bacteria and fungi. In some cases mycorrhizal fungal and bacterial diversity increased slightly.
Aboveground results were worse: tree survivorship fell to about 50% after one year and to 20% at three years in burned plots. Dead trunks became covered by a bright-coloured fungus called Neurospora discreta. The authors say the trees suffered compound stresses—initial fire damage followed by drought and rodent activity—which likely caused delayed deaths.
Because soil fungi remained, costly soil amendments to replace fungal partners may not be necessary. Still, Joshua trees grow slowly and seedlings are vulnerable to herbivores, so recovery will be challenging.
Difficult words
- estimate — a careful guess of size or numberestimated
- underground — under the soil or below ground surface
- fungus — small organism like mold or mushroomfungi
- microbial — relating to tiny living organisms such as bacteria
- abundance — large amount or number of something present
- mycorrhizal — relating to fungi that live with plant roots
- survivorship — how many individuals remain alive over time
- amendment — material added to soil to improve itamendments
- seedling — young plant recently grown from a seedseedlings
- herbivore — animal that eats plants not other animalsherbivores
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might the remaining soil fungi help Joshua tree recovery after the fire?
- What challenges will young Joshua tree seedlings face in burned areas?
- What actions could land managers take to help the trees recover in this desert environment?
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