As part of our all-star line-up of talks at this year’s Bristol Fungus Day, we are delighted to present an enlightening talk by one of the global leading researchers in mycorrhizal fungi, Prof. Martin Bidartondo!

Around 95% of the worlds plants have limited root systems that are supported by mycorrhizas (or fungus-roots). These partnerships with fungi are the interface between the plants and the soil. They are also the interface between the carbon and mineral cycles - which we are rapidly transforming across the whole world. Where do these partnerships come from? Where are they now? Where are they going? These are crucial questions to answer if we want to understand and manage terrestrial ecosystems so we can have a future. In this talk, Martin will discuss his recent breakthroughs about origins, networking, cheating and pollution.

Martin has researched the ecology and evolution of interactions between plants and fungi for 20 years, first at the University of California at Berkeley, and then at Imperial College and Kew Gardens. His focus has been on mycorrhizas, an ancient, dominant and diverse symbiosis of terrestrial ecosystems linking trees, shrubs, grasses, orchids and bryophytes.

You can catch Martin’s talk at 2pm on 5^th October. The whole event is free, but you will need to book a place at any of the talks to ensure a place. The whole event is managed and run by volunteers, so any donations are greatly appreciated!

Visit Martin’s bio page for more information on his work and publications: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/m.bidartondo

Talks will be held in the Anglican Chapel, please turn up 10mins before the talk as we will be running a tight schedule!