Underground lag: fungal community and edaphic legacies after disturbance.

Underground lag: fungal community and edaphic legacies after disturbance. | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 25 October 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Underground lag: fungal community and edaphic legacies after disturbance. Authors : Wilmer Dajhan Navarrete-López , Arantzazu Molins , María Elena Solarte , Camila Enriquez-Paz , Joshua Borràs 0000-0003-1492-5234 , Josefina Bota 0000-0001-7039-7638 , and Elena Baraza 0000-0002-2928-3978 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176141532.21174239/v1 Published Land Degradation & Development Version of record Peer review timeline 219 views 114 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Páramos are unique high-altitude ecosystems in the Neotropics, known for their exceptional biodiversity and critical ecosystem services, such as water regulation and carbon storage. However, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by agricultural and livestock expansion, leading to a widespread degradation. Although spontaneous vegetation recovery by native plant species is common when abandonment of agriculture use, the dynamics of soil health restoration remain poorly understood. We examined soil characteristics, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) abundance, and root-associated fungal community composition based on Illumina sequencing of the ITS region in two naturally regenerating sites in the Cumbal páramo (Nariño, Colombia), representing 12 and 45 years of post-disturbance recovery. Monitoring such soil biological indicators can guide low-cost, nature-based restoration strategies and improve understanding of recovery trajectories in degraded high-mountain ecosystems. Alpha diversity of the root fungal community did not differ between sites. However, PERMANOVA revealed significant effects of host species, site, and their interaction on fungal community structure. The redundancy analysis identified CEC as the key edaphic variable influencing community composition. These findings suggest that natural regeneration rapidly restores aboveground vegetation structure and composition but only gradually and incompletely recovers soil edaphic variables. Consequently, this process primarily reshapes the composition of root-associated fungal communities rather than their diversity, with host identity and soil fertility emerging as critical factors modulating the pace and trajectory of belowground ecological recovery in páramo ecosystems. Monitoring such soil biological indicators can guide low-cost, nature-based restoration strategies and improve understanding of recovery trajectories in degraded high-mountain ecosystems. Supplementary Material File (paramos_ldd.docx) Download 1.16 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 25 October 2025 Peer review timeline Published Land Degradation & Development Version of Record 3 May 2026 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (amf) ecological recovery high-elevation ecosystems land-use legacy root-associated fungi Authors Affiliations Wilmer Dajhan Navarrete-López Universidad de Narino View all articles by this author Arantzazu Molins Universitat de les Illes Balears View all articles by this author María Elena Solarte Universidad de Narino View all articles by this author Camila Enriquez-Paz Universidad de Narino View all articles by this author Joshua Borràs 0000-0003-1492-5234 Universitat de les Illes Balears View all articles by this author Josefina Bota 0000-0001-7039-7638 Universitat de les Illes Balears View all articles by this author Elena Baraza 0000-0002-2928-3978 [email protected] Universitat de les Illes Balears View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 219 views 114 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Wilmer Dajhan Navarrete-López, Arantzazu Molins, María Elena Solarte, et al. Underground lag: fungal community and edaphic legacies after disturbance.. Authorea . 25 October 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176141532.21174239/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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