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Emergence of morel (Morchella) and pixie cup (Geopyxis carbonaria) ascocarps in response to the intensity of forest floor combustion during a wildfire.

     ¹ Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, H3J 1B2, Canada
² university of alberta, edmonton, alberta, Canada
³ University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

We studied the density of ascocarps (mushrooms) of morels (Morchella) and pixie cups (Geopyxis carbonaria) as a function of post-fire duff (forest floor organic layer) depth in the first four years following a wildfire. The great majority of ascocarps of both species appeared in the first summer (2004) after an August 2003 fire in predominantly pine-spruce montane stands in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. The spatial distribution of the ascocarps of both species was strongly biased toward (i) microsites with very thin post-fire duff, and (ii) proximity to standing burnt tree trunks. The bases of ascocarps of both species were invariably found just below the surface of the mineral soil. A field experiment in nearby intact forest showed that complete or partial duff removal did not, in the absence of damage to the roots or crown, lead to ascocarps of either species. We conclude that for both fungal species, an unusually large abundance of ascocarps requires, simultaneously, damage to the associated trees and major duff reduction.

Key words: duff, fruiting, fungi, mushroom, organic layer