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underground The surface lies unusually Underground fungal network On an almost unimaginable scale. An international team of researchers has produced, for the first time, a global map of this vast mycorrhizal network – the system of fungal hyphae that form mutually beneficial partnerships with plants across the planet. Researchers estimate that the network extends a total distance of about 110 quadrillion kilometers, nearly a billion times the distance between Earth and the sun. And the results were published In science.
Under your feet
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) form underground networks that support plant life and help regulate the Earth’s climate. Through microscopic threads known as hyphae, these fungi establish symbiotic relationships with plant roots, providing water and nutrients in exchange for carbon produced through photosynthesis. The scale of this phenomenon is enormous: current estimates indicate that about 70 percent of all plant species depend on these fungal partnerships for their survival.
World Wide Web Mapping
Although a He studies A study published in Nature last year examined global patterns in the diversity of underground mycorrhizal fungal communities, and no previous research has measured the density and global distribution of this subterranean network.
To create the first global map of this hidden system, the authors of the new study pooled data from 322 previous studies, along with 16,000 soil samples collected from a wide range of terrestrial ecosystems. Using machine learning and advanced imaging techniques, the team estimated the total extent and biomass of the network.
“With the advent of new technologies in high-resolution imaging, machine learning, and robotics, we are beginning to uncover what has long been hidden beneath our feet,” said co-author Corentin Bisot. “We are discovering how the complex network-forming structures of fungi transport nutrients and help regulate climate.”
Huge underground network
The researchers estimate that the underground fungal network has a total length of about 110 quadrillion kilometers. They also calculate that it contains about 300 megatonnes of carbon in biomass, equivalent to about four to six times the total mass of all living humans.
According to the study, these fungal networks transfer the equivalent of about 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the soil each year, representing about 11% of annual human-caused carbon dioxide emissions.
“It is difficult to overstate the importance and sheer size of these fungi,” said lead author Justin Stewart of the Society for the Protection of Secret Networks. “One teaspoon of soil can contain up to 10 meters of mycorrhizal network.”
Planetary circulatory system
The researchers also issued a warning. According to the study, the density of underground fungal networks in agricultural soil is about half that found in natural ecosystems. yet Pastures— which contain an estimated 40 percent of the world’s mycorrhizal biomass — are among the least protected ecosystems and are being converted to cropland at a rate four times faster than forests.
Scientists warn that less dense fungal networks could reduce soil’s ability to store carbon and recycle nutrients.
“Mycorrhizal fungi have shaped life on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, yet we still know remarkably little about how the infrastructure for these living transport systems is distributed across the planet,” said co-author Merlin Sheldrake. “This study represents an exciting step toward understanding how the planetary circulatory system works, and points to ways in which we can work more effectively with fungi to address many of the defining challenges of our time, from food security to… Climate change“.
This story originally appeared on Wired Italy It was translated from Italian.
