
Hotspots of mycorrhizal fungi are thought to be under threat, from agriculture, urbanization, pollution, water scarcity and changes to the climate. Photo Credit: Biosphoto/Alamy
Environment United KingdomThese Fungi Get the Protection They Need to Help Our Ecosystem
A new project aims to map trillions of miles of underground fungi, a first-of-its-kind move that will protect them, improve their ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide, and aid in healthier plants and crops aboveground.
Underground mycorrhizal fungi are vital in soil biodiversity and fertility; unfortunately, many are under threat due to agriculture, pollution, urbanization, water scarcity, and changes to the climate. The new mapping project, organized by the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) aims to first pinpoint the ecosystems facing the most urgent threats and then to protect them.
Mark Tercek, a member of the governing body for SPUN explains, “Fungal networks underpin life on Earth. If trees are the ‘lungs’ of the planet, fungal networks are the ‘circulatory systems.’”
An ecosystem with thriving mycorrhizal fungi networks stores eight times as much carbon as ecosystems without these fungi networks. Further, without fungal networks, plants and crops require more chemicals to stay healthy and are more vulnerable to soil erosion, drought, pests, and pathogens. “Just below our feet lies an invaluable ally in mitigating climate change: vast hidden fungal networks,” says billionaire financier of the project Jeremy Grantham. “Billions of tons of carbon dioxide flow annually from plants to fungal networks. […] In working to map and harness this threatened but vital resource for life on earth, SPUN is pioneering a new chapter in global conservation.”