Global hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness are poorly protected.

Journal: Nature
Published Date: Jul 23, 2025

Abstract

Mycorrhizal fungi are ecosystem engineers that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth's biogeochemical cycles. However, in contrast to plants and animals, the global distribution of mycorrhizal fungal biodiversity is largely unknown, which limits our ability to monitor and protect key underground ecosystems. Here we trained machine-learning algorithms on a global dataset of 25,000 geolocated soil samples comprising >2.8 billion fungal DNA sequences. We predicted arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungal richness and rarity across terrestrial ecosystems. On the basis of these predictions, we generated high-resolution, global-scale maps and identified key reservoirs of highly diverse and endemic mycorrhizal communities. Intersecting protected areas with mycorrhizal hotspots indicated that less than 10% of predicted mycorrhizal richness hotspots currently exist in protected areas. Our results describe a largely hidden component of Earth's underground ecosystems and can help identify conservation priorities, set monitoring benchmarks and create specific restoration plans and land-management strategies.

Authors

  • Michael E Van Nuland
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA. michael@spun.earth.
  • Colin Averill
    Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Justin D Stewart
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • Oleh Prylutskyi
    Falz-Fein Biosphere Reserve "Askania Nova", Kherson Oblast, Ukraine.
  • Adriana Corrales
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • Laura G van Galen
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • Bethan F Manley
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • Clara Qin
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • Thomas Lauber
    Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Vladimir Mikryukov
    Mycology and Microbiology Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
  • Olesia Dulia
    Mycology and Microbiology Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
  • Giuliana Furci
    Fungi Foundation, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
  • César Marín
    Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Section Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Merlin Sheldrake
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • James T Weedon
    Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Section Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Kabir G Peay
    Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
  • Charlie K Cornwallis
    Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
  • Tomáš Větrovský
    Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
  • Petr Kohout
    Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
  • Petr Baldrian
    Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
  • Leho Tedersoo
    Mycology and Microbiology Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
  • Stuart A West
    Department of Biology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
  • Thomas W Crowther
    Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
  • E Toby Kiers
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.
  • Johan van den Hoogen
    Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Dover, DE, USA.

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