Underground Explorers

Our project will investigate arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities associated with native plants in mining-impacted environments of the Andean Puna of northwestern Argentina, focusing on the La Concordia mine near San Antonio de los Cobres, Salta. We hypothesize that AMF diversity and community composition vary along gradients of metal contamination and environmental stress, with mining-impacted sites favoring stress-tolerant taxa and specific plant-fungus associations that enhance plant establishment and survival. By characterizing these belowground communities, the project will generate information on AMF diversity, composition, and plant-fungus associations in mine tailings of the Andean Puna. The results will advance understanding of mycorrhizal symbioses under extreme environmental conditions and identify native plant-fungus associations with potential for nature-based restoration and revegetation. Ultimately, this knowledge may contribute to strategies for soil stabilization, reduced contaminant mobilization, and improved protection of soil and water resources in mining-impacted landscapes.