Mycorrhizal Fungi

 Mycorrhizal Fungi : Recently, a groundbreaking digital atlas released by the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) revealed that over 90% of the world’s regions rich in mycorrhizal fungi are located outside designated conservation areas.

• About Mycorrhizal Fungi : Play a crucial role in nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem regeneration, making them essential allies in maintaining ecological balance.

o Widespread Symbiosis: These fungi form symbiotic associations with over 80% of plant species, helping them absorb key nutrients especially phosphorus, and improving water uptake.

o Massive Soil Presence: Up to 30% of the living microbial biomass in soils, highlighting their vast underground influence.

o Climate Role: They sequester approximately 13 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually, which is nearly one-third of global fossil fuel emissions, contributing significantly to climate mitigation.

o Consequences of Disruption: Leads to slower forest regeneration, reduced crop yields, and a breakdown in aboveground biodiversity, as emphasized by Toby Kiers, Executive Director of SPUN.

o Policy Urgency: Their critical ecological functions have prompted global calls for their inclusion in climate change and biodiversity conservation policies.

• About Atlas : Charts the global distribution of two key types of mycorrhizal fungi:

o Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) – Predominantly found in tropical forests and savannas, including the Brazilian Cerrado, Southeast Asia, and West Africa.

o Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) – Common in temperate and boreal regions such as Siberia, Canada's boreal forests, and mountain ranges in North America and Europe.

• Developed using over 25,000 geo-located soil samples and 2.8 billion fungal DNA sequences, making it the most comprehensive global map of underground fungal biodiversity ever created.