Native and Exotic Woodland from Patagonian Andes: Anthropic Impacts and Mycorrhizas

Abstract

Mycorrhizas are one of the most important and ecologically crucial symbiosis for boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical forest, driving plant population biology and community ecology shaping their dispersal and establishment, regulating plant coexistence. Forest fragmentation, clear cutting, fires, grazing, and partial conversion to exotic plantations are affecting temperate forests of southern South America at an increasing rate. It is estimated that about 50% of the native Patagonian forest is degraded by anthropic actions. This chapter offers a review of the current knowledge about those impact on mycorrhizal associations and the ways to implement mitigation measures.