Forest management practices often severely affect forest ecosystem functioning. Tree removal by clearcutting is one such practice, producing severe impacts due to the total reduction of primary productivity. Here, we assessed changes to fungal community structure and decomposition activity in the soil, roots and rhizosphere of a Picea abies stand for a 2-year period following clearcutting compared to data from before tree harvest. We found that the termination of photosynthate flow through tree roots into soil is associated with profound changes in soil, both in decomposition processes and fungal community composition. The rhizosphere, representing an active compartment of high enzyme activity and high fungal biomass in the living stand, ceases to exist and starts to resemble bulk soil. Decomposing roots appear to separate from bulk soil and develop into hotspots of decomposition and important fungal biomass pools. We found no support for the involvement of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the decomposition of roots, but we found some evidence that root endophytic fungi may have an important role in the early stages of this process. In soil, activity of extracellular enzymes also decreased in the long term following the end of rhizodeposition by tree roots.

Department of Experimental Plant Biology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 5 128 44 Praha 2 Czech Republic

Department of Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Institute of Botany of the CAS Zámek 1 252 43 Průhonice Czech Republic

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Mendel University in Brno Zemědělská 3 613 00 Brno Czech Republic

Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology Institute of Microbiology of the CAS Vídeňská 1083 142 20 Praha 4 Czech Republic

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