First Global Map Reveals Underground Fungi Networks Long Enough to Reach the Sun a Billion Times

For the first time, an international team of researchers has mapped the global distribution and mass of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal networks. These vast underground systems sustain plant life and play a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate by locking carbon into the soil. 

Published alongside an interactive visualisation that helps reveal the scale of this underground fungal infrastructure, the research will help scientists and decision makers understand where these vital fungal systems are thriving and where they are threatened.

AM fungi form symbiotic relationships with approximately 70 per cent of plant species on Earth. The fungi provide nutrients and water in exchange for carbon fixed by plants. As ecosystem engineers, these networks form a critical living infrastructure that draws carbon into soils and supports much of life on Earth. Last year, in Nature, researchers published global analyses of the diversity patterns of underground mycorrhizal fungal communities accompanied by a digital tool, the Underground Atlas, to help decision-makers locate predicted underground biodiversity hotspots. But until now, no-one has attempted to predict and visualize the physical density and global distribution of AM fungal networks.