The ecology of ectomycorrhizal fungi

21st New Phytologist Symposium

21st NPS Meeting report by Bruns and Kennedy

Poster prize winners

First prize awarded to Sara Branco for her poster on ‘Ecophylogenetics of ectomycorrhizal fungi and extreme environments’

Runner up prize to Inga Bödeker for the poster on ‘Class II peroxidises in ectomycorrhizal fungi’

Programme, abstracts and participants [PDF]

Scope

It is estimated that there may be as many as 10,000 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi worldwide, and the ectomycorrhizal habit has arisen in several lineages during fungal evolution. These fungi are central components of carbon and nutrient cycles in many of the world’s forest and woodland ecosystems, in both temperate and tropical regions. The application of molecular techniques to the study of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the field in recent years has resulted in an explosion of information on the numbers and distribution of species, and on the composition and structure of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities. In this meeting will bring together leading researchers to look for some general principles, to learn from other systems, and to identify the important unanswered questions. The meeting is structured around the classic hierarchy of Individuals, Populationsand Communities.

Symposium format

The symposium will take place over two days at Centre for Functional Ecology and Evolution, Montpellier, France. Ten invited talks will form the basis of discussion at what will be a relatively small meeting (up to 100 participants). Following each 45-minute talk there will be a 15-minute period for discussion rather than the usual brief question time. In this way we hope to provide a lively forum for exchanging ideas and discussing new approaches. There will also be a poster session and conference dinner on the Thursday evening.

Contact

If you would like to receive further information relating to this meeting please get in touch with Holly Slater (New Phytologist) – newphytsymp@lancaster.ac.uk

New Phytologist Central Office
Bailrigg House
Lancaster University
LA1 4YE, UK.
Tel: +44 1524 594 691
Fax: +44 1524 594 696