Mycorrhizal Fungi in South America, 1st ed. 2022 Biodiversity, Conservation, and Sustainable Food Production Fungal Biology Series

In order to feed the world, global agriculture will have to double food production by 2050. As a result, the use of soils with fertilizers and pesticides in agronomic ecosystems will increase, taking into account the sustainability of these systems and also the provision of food security. Thus, soil ecosystems, their health, and their quality are directly involved in sustainable agronomical practices, and it is important to recognize the important role of soil microbial communities such as mycorrhizal fungi, their biodiversity, interactions, and functioning. Soil ecosystems are under the threat of biodiversity loss due to an increase of cultivated areas and agronomic exploitation intensity. Also, changes in land use alter the structure and function of ecosystems where biodiversity is vital in the ecosystem.

Soils are a major aid in food production in all terrestrial ecosystems; however, this means they are also involved in gas emission and global warming. Thus, in agronomic ecosystems, several mitigation practices have been proposed to promote the increase of carbon soil stock, and the reduction of warming gas emission from soils. In South America, most of the rural population depends economically on agriculture and usually works in family units. New, organic, safe, and sustainable agro-forestry practices must be applied to support local communities and countries to achieve hunger eradication, rural poverty reduction, and sustainable development.

This book compiles new information for mycorrhizal occurrence in natural and anthropic environments in South America. It includes new reports of mycorrhizal fungi diversity along different mycorrhizal types and their effect on plant communities, plant invasions, the use of mycorrhizal fungi for ecological and sustainable studies, management programs of natural and agroecosystems, and forestry and food-secure production. This book fills the gaps in biodiversity knowledge, management and safe food production of mycorrhizas. It should be a valuable help to researchers, professors and students, to aid in use of mycorrhizal fungi while also focusing on their biodiversity, sustainable safe food production, and conservation perspectives.

1. Overview 

2. Ectomycorrhizal fungi invasions in Southern South America 

3. Pseudomonotes tropenbosii, an endemic Dipterocarp tree from a Neotropical terra firme forest in Colombian Amazonia that hosts ectomycorrhizal fungi

4. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Colombian Amazon: A Historical Review

5. AMF diversity in coffee and cacao agroforestry systems: importance for crop productivity and forest conservation

7. Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Ecuadorian Amazon region.

8. Orchid Mycorrhizas in South America: Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems

9. Symbiotic propagation of South American orchids

10. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agroecosystems of East-Central Argentina: two agricultural practices effects on taxonomic groups 

11. Metal soil contamination, metallophytes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from South America

12. Native and exotic woodland from Patagonian Andes: Anthropic impacts and Mycorrhizas

13. Current Knowledge on Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and Endophytes in northwest Patagonia, Argentina

14. Mycorrhizas in Nothofagus from South America: what do we know from nursery and field experiences?

15. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the Espinal Ecoregion, gaps and opportunities

16. Edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms in South America

17. Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in temperate grassland forage species of Argentina

18. Current trends and challenges in viticulture using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

19. Communities of Glomeromycota in the Argentine Arid Diagonal: an approach from their ecological role in grassland management and use

20. The current scenario of the distribution, functionality and ecosystemic role of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in Chile

21. Mycorrhizas and Restoration in South America

22. Gaps in South American mycorrhizal biodiversity and ecosystem function research

MICODIF- IMIBIO-CONICET-UNSL- Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, 5700, San Luis, Argentina.  e-mail lugo@unsl.edu.ar/monicalugo63@gmail.com

ML was born in Tigre, Argentina. She taught for 28 years at high school and Universities such as National University of Buenos Aires, National University of Córdoba and National University of San Luis; and her current positions are Adjunct professor (Biology Department, FQByF, National University of San Luis) to Bachelor of Biological Sciences and to Professor in Biological Sciences, becoming Professor of Vegetal Diversity I, Plant-Fungi interactions: Mycophyllas and Mycorrhizas, Biology of Protist and Fungi and Fungi and Vegetal Systematic. She won three Doctoral Scholarships (1994-1999) and a Postdoc Fellowship (1999-2001). Further, she is the Director of the Mycology, Diversity and Fungal Interaction Herbarium (MICODIF) of the National University of San Luis-SNDB (National System of Biological Data-Argentina).

Education: Dr. Lugo completed her D.Sc. (Biological Sciences) from National University of Córdoba, Argentina.

Experience: She has worked in diverse research topics such as: Plan-Fungi associations (stem fungal endophytes/mycophyllas, arbuscular mycorrhizas and dark septate endophytes, ectomycorrhizas ecology), Environmental Microbiology (plants and soil microorganism interactions in highlands, stressed, arid and semi-arid native and agronomic ecosystems, secondary communities), Mycology, fungal diversity, etc.

Publication: Since 1995, 30 papers published in national and international peer reviewed journals like Microbial Ecology, Mycologia, Symbiosis, Mycorrhiza, Pedobiologia, Journal of Arid Environments, Plant and Soil, etc., published also 6 Book Chapters, 1 Book of Research Methodologies, 3 Didactic and Research Books from different editorial such as NOVA Science Publishers, and Springer

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