Collaborative CNIC: US-Argentina planning visits for fungal biodiversity investigation

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This collaborative project aims to catalyze a research collaboration between US and Argentinian researchers. The project will be led by Drs. Russell Rodriguez at Symbiogenics and Regina Redman of the University of Washington, both in Seattle, Washington, and Dr. Laurie Connell at the University of Maine, Orono, for the US side. On the Argentinean side, Drs. Diego Libkind, Martin Molino and Virginia de Garcia of INIBIOMA (Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, an Argentinean National Scientific and Technical Research Council Institute) and the University of Comahue, are the counterparts for the project. The Argentinian researchers bring to the collaboration expertise in fungal taxonomy and biodiversity, particularly of cold and extreme environments. The US researchers bring expertise in fungal and plant adaptation to stresses, particularly in diverse habitats of Antarctica. Overall, this collaboration aims to understand how function impacts bacterial community structures, an important challenge in predicting ecosystems responses to climate change. For this project the researchers will study fungal communities by investigating their diversity, physiology, and ecology in extreme habitats such as glacial water run-off in Patagonia. The results of these initial studies will lay the groundwork for further large-scale projects. The collaboration will provide training opportunities for students at different levels and has significant potential to increase our understanding of global nutrient cycling, inter-organismal relationships, and life in extreme environments.