Soil fungi play major roles in ecosystem functioning and plant resilience to environmental stresses. However, they are often overlooked in ecosystem restoration plans. In the Coastal Range of southern Chile, the endangered conifer Alerce ( Fitzroya cupressoides ) is the second longest-lived tree species on Earth and one of the largest in South America. These Alerce forests are currently facing major threats due to habitat dest...

Land use change and agricultural expansion threaten biodiversity yet the effects on soil life remain poorly understood, especially for microbes. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are microbes that form associations with most plant species and are essential for plant nutrient uptake. The diversity of these fungi is also sensitive to both land use change and regional climatic conditions. We therefore asked whether variation in A...