68 Quadrillion Miles of Hidden Fungal Networks Finally Mapped
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📰 The quick summary: Scientists have published the first global maps of Earth’s underground fungal networks, revealing a 68 quadrillion-mile system that moves billions of tons of carbon into soils each year and supports the majority of plant life on the planet.
📈 One key stat: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks move an estimated 4 billion tons of CO2e into soils each year, equivalent to 11% of all human-related carbon dioxide emissions, making them a major and previously unmapped player in the global carbon cycle.
💬 One key quote: “Mycorrhizal fungi have shaped life on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, but we still understand too little about how the infrastructure of these living transport systems is distributed across the planet,” said co-author and biologist Dr. Merlin Sheldrake.
1️⃣ The big picture: Beneath the surface of forests, grasslands, and wetlands lies one of Earth’s most important biological systems: a vast network of fungal threads that connect plants, cycle nutrients, and store carbon in the soil. For the first time, scientists have mapped this hidden infrastructure at a global scale, publishing their findings in the journal Science. Using data from more than 16,000 soil cores and machine-learning models, researchers estimated that these arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks span roughly 110 quadrillion kilometers, nearly a billion times the distance from Earth to the Sun. Grasslands alone hold about 40% of this fungal biomass, and the networks collectively move an estimated 4 billion tons of CO2 equivalent into soils each year. Alongside the study, researchers released a publicly available interactive map so that governments and policymakers can begin monitoring the health of these critical underground systems.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: For the first time, scientists and policymakers have a concrete, data-backed tool to identify where fungal networks are thriving and where they need protection, turning an invisible system into something measurable and actionable. These networks partner with roughly 70% of all plant species, expanding root reach by up to 100 times and supplying more than 80% of a plant’s phosphorus needs, meaning protecting them directly supports food security and ecosystem health. By moving 4 billion tons of CO2 equivalent into soils annually, healthy fungal networks represent a natural climate solution that has been largely absent from conservation and climate policy until now. Making the underlying data publicly available opens the door for governments, farmers, and researchers worldwide to factor fungal health into land management, agriculture, and carbon accounting decisions. This research also brings long-overdue scientific and public attention to underground ecosystems, creating momentum for their inclusion in biodiversity protection frameworks.
3️⃣ What’s next: Researchers highlight that large regions of the planet remain unsampled, and future work will focus on filling those data gaps to build an even more complete picture of global fungal distribution. Scientists also call for more research into how specific farming practices affect fungal network density, since cropland networks are currently estimated to be about 50% less dense than those in wild ecosystems. Policymakers are being encouraged to use the newly released public data to begin incorporating fungal health into conservation strategies, climate targets, and agricultural land assessments.
Read the full story here: SciTechDaily – 68 Quadrillion Miles: Scientists Map Earth’s Vast Hidden Fungal Network for the First Time
