Today on Mushroom Hour we are honored by the presence of Dr. César Marin – Researcher and Academic at the Center for Research and Innovation for Climate Change, School of Sciences, Santo Tomas University in Chile. Among his many accomplished roles, César has been a Postdoc at the Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, at the Czech Academy of Sciences, a Researcher at the Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences of the University of O’Higgins and at the Department of Ecosystems and Environment, of the School of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile AND Professor of “Soil, Ecosystems, and Global Change” at the Open University of Recoleta. Dr. Marin is the founder and lead of the South American Mycorrhizal Research Network, he is on the Board of Directors of the International Mycorrhiza Society, one of the initial members/Network laboratory of the Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (SoilBON), and a Research Associate of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN). He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the International Mycorrhiza Society Newsletter, on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment and of the Evolutionary and Genomic Microbiology section, Scientific Adviser of FungiFest, and collaborator on Skype a Scientist.    TOPICS COVERED:    Mycorrhizal Ecology   Underground Nutrient Economy   The Oldest Tree in the World   How Mineral Availability Shapes Fungal Ecologies in Soil   Starting a Research Career in Chile   Emerging Mycology Research in South America   Undiscovered Biodiversity    Living with Political Violence in Colombia   How Science can Diffuse Violence and Contribute to Positive Social Change   South American Mycorrhizal Research Network   Protecting Land Based on Below-Ground Biodiversity   Fungal Allies & Adapting to a Changing Environment    Multilevel Natural Selection Theory   How to Think About the Practice of Science   EPISODE RESOURCES:     Dr. César Marin Website: https://cesar-marin.com/   SPUN: https://www.spun.earth/   SoilBON: https://www.globalsoilbiodiversity.org/soilbon   South American Mycorrhizal Research Network: https://southmycorrhizas.org/  "Gran Abuelo" tree in Chile: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-cypress-in-chile-could-soon-break-the-record-for-worlds-oldest-tree   Butyriboletus loyo (fungus): https://www.ffungi.org/blog/butyriboletus-loyo-surviving-extinction   Cortinarius magellanicus (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortinarius_magellanicus   Rhizoglomus cacao (fungus): https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/nova_hedwigia/detail/115/101684/Rhizoglomus_cacao_a_new_species_of_the_Glomeraceae?af=crossref