Burning native and improved grasslands in the southern plains: A typical management practice’s effects on mycorrhizal abundance

Perennial grasslands in the Southern Plains are important agricultural ecosystems that support cattle production. Grasslands consist of native or monoculture species. Fire is a management tool to improve forage quality. Fire may have an effect on microbial communities, including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in the soil. We investigated the effects of fire in a pristine tallgrass prairie and a monoculture Old World Bluestem [(Bothriochloa sp.); (Dicanthium sp.)] pasture in Oklahoma. Preliminary results indicate that fire has an immediately decreases the population of AM fungi. The recovery of the AM fungi is quick in native pasture.