BRUSSELS, Nov 30 Reuters - Scientists unveiled plans on Tuesday to map the world's vast underground web of fungi for the first time, to identify hotspots that could protect natural ecosystems and store carbon dioxide to help tackle climate change.
Fungal networks underpin the health of plants, trees and broader ecosystems by creating thread-like webs in soil that suck in CO 2 and transport nutrients like phosphorus to plants.
The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks said on Thursday it would collect 10,000 samples over the next 18 months from around the world, using machine learning to find the most biodiverse hotspots and map global fungal networks.
When something obvious like a coral reef dies, people notice but these guys are really invisible ecosystem engineers, so their losses are largely undocumented, according to Toby Kiers, professor at Amsterdam's VU university. We're trying to step in. That's where we're trying to step in. SPUN, a non-profit network that holds billions of tonnes of CO2, says that the networks of fungal are under threat from factors including fertiliser use in agriculture, urbanisation and climate change.
The world-first map will be used to identify sites with the potential to store more CO2, and to withstand changes brought about by global warming.
SPUN would identify at-risk areas and work to improve the conservation of below-ground biodiversity hotspots.
The project is backed by a $3.5 million donation from the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust.
Jeremy Grantham said that the Fungal networks are an invaluable ally in the fight against climate change. These carbon sinks are not fully understood.