Underground Fungal Network Estimated to Stretch a Billion Times the Distance to the Sun
By
Michelle Starr
Kettled twice. Extra chewy, extra trustworthy.
Summary
The article describes the mycorrhizal network, a vast underground system of fungal filaments that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots. This network, dating back at least 450 million years, transports nutrients from soil to plants in exchange for carbon produced by photosynthesis. The article highlights recent research revealing the immense scale of this network, estimating its total length could be up to a billion times the distance from Earth to the Sun. It explains how these fungi act as a critical carbon sink, storing massive amounts of carbon underground, and discusses the implications for climate change and ecosystem health.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe ground beneath your feet is not quiescent.
It zings and pulses with frenzied activity, much of it driven by a partnership between plants and fungi that dates back at least 450 million years.
The total length of mycorrhizal mycelium in the top 10 centimeters of soil across the planet is somewhere in the region of 4.5 × 10^17 kilometers – that's nearly half a quadrillion kilometers of filament.
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