Beneath our feet lies a fungal superhighway stretching 68 quadrillion miles
Key takeaways
- Beneath the ground, vast networks of fungi quietly support plant life and play an important role in regulating the planet's climate by helping move carbon into soils.
- The study, published in Science, focuses on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a group of fungi that form partnerships with most plants on Earth.
- The Hidden Partnerships Supporting Plant Life
Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.
Beneath the ground, vast networks of fungi quietly support plant life and play an important role in regulating the planet's climate by helping move carbon into soils. Now, researchers have created the first global maps showing where these underground fungal networks are found and how much of them exist worldwide.
The study, published in Science, focuses on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a group of fungi that form partnerships with most plants on Earth. Alongside the research, scientists released an interactive visualization that allows users to explore the remarkable scale of this hidden underground infrastructure. The maps are expected to help researchers and policymakers identify areas where these fungal networks are thriving and where they may be under threat.
The Hidden Partnerships Supporting Plant Life