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It’s back – SciBar at the Vale. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive details of each upcoming talk, please contact us at bollingtonscibar@hotmail.co.uk.
Next talk: Monday 12 June at 6:30pm
Speaker: Professor David Johnson, from Manchester University
Topic: The wood-wide web – disentangling fact and fiction
In nature, most plants form close associations with soil fungi known as mycorrhiza. These associations are globally ubiquitous and are critical for regulating how ecosystems function. One fascinating feature of these underground fungal networks is their ability to connect the roots of multiple plants simultaneously, hence the moniker ‘wood-wide web’. The functional consequences of the wood-wide web have reached almost mythological status in the popular press, but how much is based on fact? Here I disentangle fact from fiction by drawing on scientific findings and showcase how mycorrhizal fungi can form interacting networks in soil, and regulate multi-trophic interactions and ecosystem processes.
We hope to see you there. All feedback on the night very welcome. We are also on the lookout for volunteers to help plan and run SciBar! Get in touch at bollingtonscibar-at-hotmail.co.uk