The giant network of subterranean fungi that feeds plants and protects the climate

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doi.org/10.1126/science.adu4373
Credibility: 989
#Fungi

Just below the Earth’s surface lies a vast network of carbon-rich fungi that intertwine with plant roots

This vast underground “infrastructure” has just been revealed for the first time in a global digital map.

Besides exchanging nutrients with plants, these fungi also help regulate the planet’s climate.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, an ancient group that lives in most terrestrial ecosystems, form partnerships with about 70% of the world’s plant species.

They provide water and nutrients to plants in exchange for carbon.

“Some people say that plants save the fungi, but the fungi also save the plants,” explains Justin Stewart of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks.

“If a plant doesn’t live in symbiosis with these fungi, it’s almost an exception in the plant world.”

Given the importance of these organisms, Stewart and his team decided to map this hidden network.

“We asked ourselves: will it be possible to map the Earth’s underground circulatory system”” says Toby Kiers, also from the organization.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 16,000 soil samples collected in 322 previous studies.

They also used robotic imaging to measure more than 300,000 fungal filaments cultivated in the laboratory.

With this information, they were able to estimate the total biomass and the amount of carbon stored in the networks, extending the calculations to deserts, tundras, forests, and other areas where there were no direct measurements.

The results are impressive: the amount of carbon stored in these fungi around the world is equivalent to about five times the mass of all living human beings combined.

“They are fundamental to many functions of the planet,” says Stewart.

“For example, they pull carbon into the soil, which is very important for combating climate change.”

About 40% of these fungi are concentrated in grassland ecosystems, especially in South Sudan, the Florida Everglades, and the Tibetan Plateau.

This worries scientists because these areas are being rapidly converted into agricultural land.

In cultivated areas, the presence of fungi is much lower: the networks are about 50% less dense than in natural ecosystems, even though there are many plants.

This happens because fungicides kill the fungi directly, plowing breaks their networks, and the excessive use of fertilizers impairs the natural exchange of nutrients for carbon.

Previous studies have already shown that certain fungicides reduce the amount of filaments by up to 70% and root colonization by beneficial species by up to 80%.

“Supporting these fungi is not just an ecological issue, but a practical way to improve soil health, resilience, and long-term crop productivity,” says Laura Carter of the University of Leeds.

Experts like Steven Allison of the University of California point out that cultivated plants may be losing important benefits such as access to nutrients, drought resistance, and carbon storage.

The good news is that now that the scale of the problem has been quantified, it’s easier to create solutions: farmers can add fungal spores to the soil, reduce plowing, and use less fertilizer.

The study doesn’t mean that all fungi are connected in a single large global network, like the famous “Wood Wide Web.” The researchers only calculated how many filaments exist on the planet.

Along with the article, they released an interactive map showing the global distribution of these networks in unprecedented detail.

The findings will be presented to policymakers at the UN summit on desertification in Mongolia in August.

Published in 06/12/2026 14h25

Portuguese version

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.

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