The soil ecology team was strongly represented at the international conference Ecology of Soil Microorganisms 2025. Networking across scales held in Helsinki on 15.– 19. June 2025. The conference brought together nearly hundred researchers from all over the world.

Prof Maarja Öpik gave an inspiring talk about biodiversity and functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural ecosystems at regional scale.

Dr Tanel Vahter spoke about how more generalistic AM fungal communities also produce less biomass in managed soils.

Dr Inga Hiiesalu gave an insight how fungi sometimes climb and sometimes do not in her presentation titled “Into the heights and toward the poles: elevational and latitudinal trends in AM fungal community niche structure”.

In addition, Maarja Öpik had the joy to hand out five awards as the Editor-in-Chief of the New Phytologist, for outstanding presentations.

As part of the conference, international experts joined a field excursion to the Lettosuo, the ALFAwetlands project’s Living Lab site, led by Luke and Finnish Meteorological Institute. The group explored how different management options for peatland forests affect greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage.

Overall, it was a very inspiring conference.

More info about the conference can be found here: https://www.lyyti.fi/p/Ecology_of_Soil_Mircoorganisms2025_9620/en/conference