Global map reveals Earth’s hidden fungal highways are densest beneath wild grasslands
TL;DR
Researchers mapped the world’s underground mycorrhizal network, estimating about 68 quadrillion miles (110 quadrillion km) of fungal hyphae that connect around 70% of Earth’s plants. The network boosts plant access to water, nutrients, and soil carbon exchange, and it is densest under wild grasslands rather than rainforests. Farmland shows about half the density, highlighting how agricultural practices affect these hidden connections and offering new avenues for conservation and farming methods that protect this vast, climate-relevant web.
Topics:scienceenvironment#environment#fungi#grasslands#mycorrhizal-networks#plant-fungi-symbiosis#soil-carbon
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- Nearly All Plants Depend on Tiny Underground Fungi. The Microbes' Vast Global Networks Were Just Mapped for the First Time Smithsonian Magazine
- Scientists just finished mapping the 110-quadrillion-mile network hiding under your feet Yahoo Creators
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