Two members of the plant ecology team led by Martin Zobel (Maarja Öpik and Guillermo Bueno) were invited as keynote speakers to a symposium on „Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in the Southern Cone of South America“ in Valdivia, Chile (March 6-9). The symposium was organized by our collaborators: Prof. Roberto Godoy and PhD student Cesar Marin (Austral University of Chile) and Patricia Silva Flores (University of Concepcion), among others. The meeting was a relevant gathering point for South American and European mycorrhizal researchers. As a result of the exciting discussions and ideas exchanged, a relevant network initiative started; the South American Mycorrhizal Research Network (https://southmycorrhizas.org/). 

This network is a horizontal scientific community directed towards the progress of mycorrhizal applications, research and public outreach in South America. One of the aims of the network is to overcome the lack of local South American perspectives in the ongoing and future global initiatives, facilitating the integration of South American mycorrhizal research into the world leading mycorrhizal research. A more detailed summary of the scientific relevance of the meeting can be found in this meeting report published in the New Phytologist.

Citation: Bueno, C. G., Marín, C., Silva‐Flores, P., Aguilera, P., & Godoy, R. (2017). Think globally, research locally: emerging opportunities for mycorrhizal research in South America. New Phytologist, 215(4), 1306-1309. (link to full text)

The last two global studies exploring the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, with large sampling gaps in rich biodiversity regions, such as South America. Pink dots correspond to sampling sites from Tedersoo et al. (2014) and blue dots from Davison et al. (2015). – Figure 1 from the paper.

Logo of the South American Mycorrhizal Research Network (https://southmycorrhizas.org/), launched just after the meeting. – Figure 3 from the paper