Wildfires significantly impact terrestrial ecosystems, yet the mechanisms driving soil microbial responses remain unclear. This study investigated bacterial and fungal communities across fire, median, and nature zones in Jinyun Mountain National Forest Reserve, Chongqing, China, focusing on indicator species' roles in community reconstruction. We collected 90 soil samples two weeks after an August 2022 wildfire. Wildfire reduced fungal diversity but had minimal effect on bacterial diversity. The median zone showed higher fungal diversity than the fire zone but lower than the unfired zone. Fungal communities exhibited greater dispersion post-fire due to higher heat sensitivity, with the largest separation between median and unfired zones. Heat-tolerant taxa (e.g., Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Ascomycota) increased in burned areas. iCAMP analysis identified Massilia (bacteria) and Penicillium (fungi) as wildfire indicators, critical for community assembly. Our fire manipulation experiment confirmed fungi's greater sensitivity to fire. These findings highlight pyrophilous microbes' importance in postfire forest recovery and the median zone's dual ecological effects. Future research should explore these microbes' functional roles in ecosystem restoration and evaluate the median zone's long-term ecological impact.
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