FIRE IS A NATURAL PART OF MANY ECOSYSTEMS, BUT IT CAN ALSO ALTER PLANT-POLLINATOR-MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS AND DISRUPT ECOSYSTEM MULTIFUNCTIONALITY (AVERAGE RESPONSE OF ALL MEASURED ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS). SOIL MICROBIAL BIODIVERSITY IS A KEY RESOURCE FOR MAINTAINING THIS ECOSYSTEM MULTIFUNCTIONALITY AND IS OFTEN DECIMATED POST-WILDFIRES. SPECIALIZED MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI (ROOT ASSOCIATING FUNGI) CAN BE VITAL IN REESTABLISHMENT OF PLANT COMMUNITIES AND, IN TURN, POLLINATOR COMMUNITIES. THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF SOIL AMENDMENTS AND TIME TO INTERVENTION ON RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEM MULTIFUNCTIONALITY AFTER WILDFIRES. RAPID INCREASE IN WILDFIRE FREQUENCY AND THE NEED FOR GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLIES NECESSITATE THESE ENQUIRIES.TO ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS, THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH PROJECT ARE: (1) USING FIELD APPLICATIONS TO DETERMINE IF APPLICATION OF SOIL MICROBIAL AMENDMENTS IMPROVES ECOSYSTEM MULTIFUNCTIONALITY IN BURNED SHRUBLANDS. (2) ELUCIDATE HOW TIME TO INTERVENTION (APPLICATION OF AMENDMENTS) INFLUENCES THE EFFICACY OF TREATMENT ON RESTORATION OUTCOMES. FINDINGS FROM THIS RESEARCH CAN BE APPLIED TO POLLINATOR AND SOIL HEALTH AND AGRICULTURAL CROP YIELDS BY IMPROVING SOIL-PLANT MICROBIAL SYMBIONTS. THIS RESEARCH WILL RESULT IN COLLABORATIONS WITH FORESTRY AGENTS AND CONTRIBUTE TO RESTORATION EFFORTS IN CALIFORNIA CHAPARRAL.