SPECIAL ORAL SESSIONS: HERE ARE THE INVITED SPEAKERS!

University of Tartu, Estonia.

OI01 “Different estimations of plant mycorrhizal traits: limitations, suggestions and challenges” – March 6th: Ecology, environment and society, at 10.30 am.

Dr. Guillermo Bueno is a plant ecologist who has been working on plant-biotic interactions, either plant-animal (in his PhD he analyzed the effect of wild boar disturbances on alpine ecosystems) plant-plant (as a postdoc in the University of Alberta, Canada, he studied the interactions among plants facing warming and herbivory) and plant-fungal interaction (working with the ecology and distribution of plant mycorrhizal traits in the University of Tartu, since 2014). In his work, soil ecology and in particular mycorrhizal ecology have increasingly become the crucial element to explain what happens above-ground at multiple scales, either at plant species, community or macroecological scales. For more details about his work and access to his publications visit: https://www.botany.ut.ee/planteco/en/staff/guillermo_bueno.html

Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro – CONICET, Argentina.

OI02 “Mycorrhiza and nutrient limitation in woody species of the Argentinian Andean-Patagonian Region” – March 6th: Ecology, environment and society, at 11.45 am.

Dr. Mazzarino is an Agronomist (Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires), PhD in Agricultural Sciences (University of Göttingen, Germany) and has postdoc studies at University of Florida and Stanford University (both in the USA) From 1989 to 1992 she has worked as International Researcher in Soils and Ecology in Costa Rica. Then, from 1994 to 2017 she has achieved a permanent position at CONICET, reaching the Principal Researcher category. She has been the head of the Soil Group at Universidad Nacional del Comahue, in Bariloche. Now she works as Consulting Professor at Universidad Nacional de Río Negro in Environmental Engineering, and Postgraduate Professor at Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has expertise in soil fertility, nutrient cycling, organic waste management, restoration, and bioremediation.

IFEVA-CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Argentina

OI03 “Mycorrhizal effects on plants recovering from defoliation” – March 7^th: Biodiversity and Physiology, at 10.30 am.

Dr. Grimoldi is Agronomist (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Doctor in Agronomy (Technical University of Munich, Germany). Now, Professor at the Chair of Forage Science (FA-UBA) and IFEVA-CONICET (Argentina). His expertise is based on ecophysiology of forage species. In particular, cost-benefit relationships in mycorrhizal forage plants under defoliation at different environmental scenarios and grassland ecosystems.

Universidad Autónoma de México, México.

OI04 “The role of ectomycorrhizal fungi for nitrogen cycling in Southern Patagonia” – March 7^th: Biodiversity and Physiology, at 11.45 am.

Dr. Camille Truong is an Associate Researcher at the Institute of Biology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), with expertise in the evolution of symbiosis and the modelization of ecological data. During her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida and the Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC-CONICET) in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, she acquired a large experience about fungal diversity and functions in Southern temperate forests, using ectomycorrhizal associations as a model to study the biogeography of southern hemisphere fungi and their role for ecosystem functioning. For a full list of her publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cA-jVNkAAAAJ&hl=fr

Institute of Botany Czech Academy Sciences, Pruhonice, Czech Republic

OI05 “Perspectives of Mycorrhizal Fungi Applications in Agriculture and Forestry”

March 8^th: Sustainable development and management, at 10.30 am.

Dr. Miroslav Vosátka is a Biologist and Chemist (Charles University, Prague). He did his PhD thesis at the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences. He worked for several institutes mostly focused on developing new technologies in biosciences involving application of microbes in remediation projects in degraded ecosystems and water cleaning. Since 2012 he is Deputy co-ordinator of the Biorefinery Research Centre of Competence focused on novel refinery of plant and animal waste materials for energy feedstock, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Dr Vosátka has coordinated and/or participated in several national and international projects, publishing more than 118 papers and 13 book chapters. Within many projects he is now production director of PlantWorks, Ltd. Sittingbourne, Kent Science Park, where he advices on production of mycorrhizal fungi and participates in technology licencing projects to Kenya, Iceland and United Arab Emirates.

INIBIOMA, CONICET – Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina.

OI06 “Ectomycorrhizal fungi and pine invasions: lessons from Isla Victoria, Nahuel Huapi National Park”

March 8^th: Sustainable development and management, at 11.45 am.

Dr. Martín Nuñez completed his licenciatura degree at the Universidad del Comahue in 2002 and obtained his PhD in 2008 at the University of Tennessee, USA, with Dan Simberloff as his main advisor. After being a postdoctoral researcher in the USA, he returned to Argentina in 2012. His main area of expertise is on Pine tree invasion and the role of mycorrhizal fungi on their spread. Nowadays, Dr. Nuñez and his students are focused on different aspects of pine invasion, such as their impacts on the native biodiversity, drivers that promotes their invasion and the mycorrhizal fungi associated with them. For a full list of his publications: https://sites.google.com/site/nunezm/home

IRNAD, CONICET - Universidad de Río Negro, Argentina

OI07 “Sustainable management of the native mixed forest: aerial and belowground interactions between plants and insects”

March 8^th: Sustainable development and management, at 12.20 pm.

Dr. Garibali is Agronomist and Doctor in Agricultural sciences (Universidad de Buenos Aires). He was born on May 21, 1981 and he is father of a son. Research motivates him to achieve a rural environment with positive objectives in the social, economic and ecological dimensions in the long term. His studies are about agroecology, beekeeping, biodiversity, interactions between plants and insects (herbivory, pollination, pests), environmental services and their contribution to human well-being. These works have had a quantitative emphasis, developing and applying new statistical models. He has contributed towards a predictive science, which serves to prevent environmental-social problems and to propose solutions.