ITS2 and 16S -prescribed/wildfire in CA grassland

Wildfires, a natural component of the landscape, increase native plant cover while eliminating invasive species in Mediterranean grasslands. Prescribed fires are a management tool used to mimic the benefits of wildfires; however, it is unknown whether prescribed fires can replicate the ecological effects of wildfires on either plant or soil microbial composition. Relevance: Wildfire burns at higher severity than prescribed fires. As such, the impacts on soil microbial communities differ and their resilience can have a critical impact on native plant regeneration by facilitating the encroachment of invasive plants. The goals of this research were to understand how prescribed fire versus wildfire impacts 1) native versus invasive plant cover and richness 2) soil bacterial and fungal biomass and richness 3) soil bacterial and fungal composition over time, and finally, 4) how does AMF and soil microbial regeneration relate to native plant regeneration?