Chapter 12: Southern Highlands: Fungal Endosymbiotic Associations

E. MENOYO; LUGO M. A.

Mycorrhizal Fungi in South America

Springer

Año: 2019; p. 217 - 255

In South America (SA), Highlands above-treeline stretch along 7000 km in aNorth-South direction, occupying almost 694,000 km2, most of it is locatedin the Andean region except for 34,500 km2 in the Chaco region. In theseHighlands are represented very particular ecoregions and phytogeographicareas in desertic, arid and semiarid biomes with characteristic vegetationscomposed by endemic plants. These Highlands are completely different fromthe ones found in Europe and Asia due to their proper biodiversity, climate,geographic position, geologic origin, and biogeography. Highlands in SA aresuffering soil erosion, a retraction of their areas due to the advance of theagricultural-livestock frontiers and overgrazing, environmental deteriorationby firewood extraction and the accumulation of mining toxic waste. Mountainecosystems are huge-natural-environmental laboratories where it is possible tostudy important ecological unresolved hypothesis. The study of fungal-rootendophytes(mycorrhizal and dark-septate fungi), their colonization to nativeplants and how to enhance the resilience of soil ecosystems deserves specialattention. Studies on fungal-root-endophytes have been carried out extensivelyworldwide; however, the research in Highlands are still scant around the world,especially in SA. This chapter reviews and discusses fungal-root-endophytescolonization in Highlands of SA, and compared them to the worldwideknowledge.