Scientists reveal hidden fungal carbon network

Scientists have mapped vast underground fungal networks that help store carbon and support healthy ecosystems, providing a powerful new tool for conservation in countries around the world.

“We want to use these data to really shine a light on some of these hidden patterns underground,” said Dr Toby Kiers, Director of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) and evolutionary biologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Using machine learning, a high-resolution imaging robot and data from more than 16,000 soil samples, scientists estimated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form an underground network stretching around 68 quadrillion miles and containing about 300 megatons of carbon. The research also identified grasslands as global hotspots for these fungi, highlighting their importance in storing carbon, stabilising soils and supporting more than 70% of Earth’s terrestrial plant species. The findings could help guide future conservation and land management efforts to protect these vital underground ecosystems.