Global fungal networks span 110 quadrillion kilometers, researchers find
By
Derek Harrison
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
Researchers have quantified the global length and mass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks for the first time. These underground fungal webs span 110 quadrillion kilometers globally—enough to stretch nearly a billion times the distance from Earth to the sun. The networks form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, supplying nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen in exchange for carbon, sequestering 1 billion tons of carbon annually underground. The study, published in Science, also mapped the ecosystems where these fungal networks are densest.
Key quotes
· 2 pulledHidden underground around the world lie 110 quadrillion kilometers of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks—webs of ultra-thin threads that, if connected in a single line, would stretch almost a billion times the distance between the Earth and the sun.
These fungal communities form intimate relationships with the roots of plants, which they provide with nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen in exchange for carbon, 1 billion tons of which the networks sequester underground annually.
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