Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

SPUN is taking Earth Day underground. How can you help? - Share the video - Download the logo from our bio - Post on April 22 - Use #UnderEarthDay - Tag @spununderground This is a global call to protect life belowground and conserve the underground fungal networks that sustain life aboveground. Make April 22 #UnderEarthDay. Huge thanks to @cosmosheldrake for the music and Justin Magness for the video. #fungi #mycology #ProtectTheUnderground

How do you protect hidden fungal networks? Protect the trees they support. New research published in Biodiversity and Conservation about our first expedition to the Chilean Coast Range. Co-led by Dr. Camille Truong and Dr. Adriana Corrales, the findings highlight that endangered ancient conifers, called Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), shelter an enormous amount of fungi belowground that have helped the forest, a massive carbon sink, survive and adapt over millennia. Removing one tree can destroy an entire underground community of forest helpers that took thousands of years to assemble. These forests are now threatened by land-use shifts, climate change, and major infrastructure projects, including a proposed road that would run just a few hundred meters from alerce forests, increasing the threat of fires, tourist pressure, and invasive species. These huge millennial trees serve as an “umbrella” that protects soil fungal diversity and we need to protect this diversity both above and belowground. Read the paper in our bio. Congrats to all the authors: Camille Truong ( @golondrelle ), Adriana Corrales ( @adricorrales33 ), Bethan Manley ( @bethanmanley ) , Michael E. Van Nuland, Justin D. Stewart ( @thecrobe ), Rocío Urrutia-Jalabert, Roberto Godoy, Merlin Sheldrake ( @merlin.sheldrake ), Giuliana Furci( @giulifungi ), E. Toby Kiers ( @tobykiers ) & César Marín ( @genestogaia ). Massive thank you to Universidad Santo Tomás ( @santotomas_ustsantiago ), Universidad Austral de Chile ( @universidadaustraldechile ), Universidad de La Frontera (Chile)( ufro.temuco), Fungi Foundation ( @fungifoundation ), Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria ( @royalbotanicgardensvic ) , and the University of Melbourne in Australia ( @unimelb ). Photos by Tomás Munita ( @tomas.munita ) #SoilBiodiversity #MycorrhizalFungi #Fungi #ForestEcology #ConservationScience

Who lives underground? Using machine learning on a dataset of more than 2.8 billion fungal sequences from 130 countries, we've created the first high-resolution maps predicting mycorrhizal diversity and endemism at 1 km² resolution globally. The research is out now in @nature_the_journal . Key finding: 90% of predicted mycorrhizal biodiversity hotspots lie outside protected areas. The data powers a new interactive tool we built at SPUN called Underground Atlas, letting anyone explore mycorrhizal diversity and endemism patterns anywhere on Earth. Link in bio. This publication brings together SPUN, @globalfungi , GlobalAMFungi, the Global Soil Mycobiome consortium, and researchers worldwide to reveal patterns of fungal richness and rarity across biomes — from the Amazon to the Arctic. What's next? Action is needed to incorporate these findings into conservation planning, environmental law, and climate policy. By protecting mycorrhizal systems, we can support global biodiversity, safeguard underground carbon flows, boost crop productivity, and increase ecosystem resilience. Open Access Paper: "Global Hotspots of Mycorrhizal Fungal Richness are Poorly Protected." Link in bio. Led by: Michael Van Nuland Co-authors: Colin Averill, Justin D. Stewart (@thecrobe ), Oleh Prylutskyi, Adriana Corrales, Laura G. van Galen, Bethan F. Manley, Clara Qin, Thomas Lauber, Vladimir Mikryukov, Olesia Dulia, Giuliana Furci (@giulifungi ), César Marín (@cesarmarin7 ), Merlin Sheldrake (@merlin.sheldrake ), James T. Weedon, Kabir G. Peay (@mykophile ) , Charlie K. Cornwallis, Tomáš Větrovský, Petr Kohout, Petr Baldrian, Leho Tedersoo, Stuart A. West (@stuwest8 ), Thomas W. Crowther (@twcrowther ), Toby Kiers (@tobykiers ), SPUN Mapping Consortium, Johan van den Hoogen. #ProtectTheUnderground #UndergroundAtlas #SoilScience #Fungi #Mycorrhizae #SoilBiodiversity

Inside the fungal cell, beneath the surface, fungi are running a sophisticated show. Thanks to emerging technologies, we can capture a snapshot of this complex performance belowground. Using metatranscriptomics, we can gather information encoded in fungal RNA to understand the function and activity of fungal genes at exact moments in time. Preserving the RNA of these extraordinary networks is a huge challenge because the RNA degrades quickly. As a result, samples need to be flash frozen. For more on the process behind this, check out our previous post on metatranscriptomics. Lab image: Loreto Oyarte Gálvez, VU / AMOLF Photography on slide 3: SPUN & Konstantinos Tsakalidis #ProtectTheUnderground #Mycology #MycorrhizalFungi #RNA

How can you protect something that hasn’t yet been named? A recent study revealed that only 155,000 of the roughly 2-3 million fungal species on Earth have been formally described. The rest are “dark taxa”, known only by the DNA sequences that can’t be linked to named or described species. When a species hasn’t been formally described, it is much more difficult to study and protect. Our recent work found that hotspots of ectomycorrhizal dark taxa are concentrated in tropical and southern-hemisphere regions, including parts of Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Yet much of the research and funding on ectomycorrhizal fungi has been focused in the Global North. Closing this gap will require more field sampling, more sequencing, and more support for scientists working in these regions. Research published in @currentbiology by SPUN scientists Laura van Galen, Adriana Corrales, Camille Truong, Sujai Kumar, Bethan Manley, Justin Stewart, Michael Van Nuland, and Toby Kiers, alongside colleagues, Johan van den Hoogen, Petr Kohout, Petr Baldrian, Tomáš Větrovský, and Thomas W. Crowther. Link to the full study in our bio. Huge thanks to Loreto Oyarte Gálvez of AMOLF and VU for the lab material. Post production by Riccardo Rachello. #ProtectTheUnderground #MycorrhizalFungi #DarkTaxa #DNASequences #Mycology

A mushroom is often the most visible part of a massive underground ectomycorrhizal fungus. The part that is hidden is just as beautiful and complex. When conditions are right (moisture, temperature, low-disturbance), some species of ectomycorrhizal fungi produce mushrooms that release spores. Those mushrooms can appear suddenly, then disappear just as quickly. All the while, plant-fungal associations continue hidden belowground. Photo Credits: Slide 1, 3: Mateo Barrenengoa (@mateobarrenengoa ) Slide  2, 4: Tomás Munita (@tomas.munita ) #ProtectTheUnderground #MycorrhizalFungi #Mushrooms

How do mycorrhizal fungi help plants access nutrients? Mycorrhizal fungi help plants access nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen by forming vast underground networks of fine, thread-like structures called hyphae. These hyphae grow through soil extending far beyond the reach of plant roots helping them access nutrients from distant areas. In exchange, plants supply the fungi with carbon-rich compounds, including sugars and lipids. This video shows carbon-rich lipids flow through mycorrhizal fungal mycelium, courtesy of Rachael Cargill of @vuamsterdam and AMOLF, revealing bursts of the dynamic activity occurring at the microscopic scale. #SPUN #Hyphae #MycorrhizalNetworks #MicroscopeFootage #ProtectTheUnderground

How do fungi drive island regeneration on one of Earth’s most remote atolls? Palmyra Atoll is one of the healthiest, intact atolls on Earth—so ecologically sensitive that visiting researchers freeze their clothes at night to kill invasive species. It shelters hundreds of thousands of seabirds, untouched coral reefs, and the largest crab species in the world. It’s also home to Pisonia grandis, a critical tree species and nesting ground for the massive seabird population. Pisonia trees are the backbone of Palmyra Atoll. Pisonias also support many of the world’s other 598 atolls. However, little is known about Pisonia’s mycorrhizal fungal partners. Our team travelled to the middle of the Pacific to map the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi across the atoll and identify the fungi associated with Pisonia trees. The expedition was led by Charlie K. Cornwallis of @lunduniversity , Stuart A. West of the @oxford_uni , Alex Wegmann of @nature_hi_pal , and SPUN’s Toby Kiers. Our findings, published today in @currentbiology , reveal that fungi are vital to sustaining life in this remote ecosystem. The symbiotic relationship between Pisonia and its ectomycorrhizal partners is so strong that every tree root sampled across Palmyra’s soils contained a species of mycorrhizal fungi called Tomentella. Even the aerial roots of Pisonia were colonized by Tomentella. Read the open-access paper and watch the full short film in our bio. Our research confirms “a hidden dependency at the heart of an entire ecosystem”. Lead author Charlie Cornwallis said, “The health of Palmyra's coral reefs ultimately depends on seabirds, which depend on Pisonia trees for nesting, which depend on fungi. Remove any link in that chain and the whole system could unravel.” The study underscores that conservation isn't just about species you can see. On remote island systems like atolls, if symbiotic partners are lost, replacements can be scarce. Documenting hidden underground fungi is important for preventing ecosystem collapse and supporting restoration. #ProtectTheUnderground #PalmyraAtoll #MycorrhizalFungi

Meet the people taking Earth Day underground. Help us make today #UnderEarthDay. • Visit www.spun.earth/under-earth-day or the link in bio. • Share the video • Download the logo and post it today • Use #UnderEarthDay • Tag @spununderground #fungi #mycorrhizalfungi #ProtectTheUnderground

Which fungi support trees like oak and birch as woodlands expand? In this video, David Satori (@rewilding_mycology ), a PhD researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, shares how local mycorrhizal fungi may influence woodland creation at Wild Haweswater (@wildhaweswater ) in Cumbria. In collaboration with Cumbria Connect (@connectfornature ) and the RSPB (@rspbengland ), we are studying whether fungal communities already present in long-grazed upland soils could help support resilient new woodland. Not all mycorrhizal fungi associate with the same plants. Some fungi partner with grasses and herbaceous communities, while others are better suited to trees like oak and birch. In landscapes shaped by long-term grazing, that difference may influence how successfully new woodland establishes. By sampling soils across the site, we are investigating whether local fungal communities could help support resilient woodland creation. 📸: Seth Carnill (@sethcarnill ) #mycorrhizalfungi #fungi #cumbria #forestrestoration

Can fungi help expand rare temperate rainforests? Let us know what you think in the comments. 👇 We’re working with Cumbria Connect (@connectfornature ) and the RSPB (@rspbengland ) to study how mycorrhizal fungi may influence woodland creation. By looking at which fungi are already present in the soil, we’re asking whether underground life could help support the return of trees to long-grazed landscapes. 📸: Seth Carnill (@sethcarnill ) #ProtectTheUnderground #MycorrhizalFungi #WoodlandRestoration #Cumbria

How do mycorrhizal fungal networks support the creation of woodlands? SPUN’s Bethan Manley (@bethanmanley ), Victoria Beall (@toriabeall ), and Sujai Kumar joined Cumbria Connect (@connectfornature ) and RSPB (@rspbengland ) on an expedition in Cumbria, UK, to better understand the fungal communities in fields and forests. England has plans to create about 260,000 hectares of new woodland. This project at @WildHaweswater in Cumbria focuses on how to build resilient, ecologically rich woodland in upland landscapes. By collecting soil samples across the site, the team is identifying which mycorrhizal fungi are already present and asking whether these existing belowground communities are sufficient for supporting tree survival. The findings may help inform where and how trees are planted as woodland is restored. 📸: Seth Carnill (@sethcarnill ) #ProtectTheUnderground #MycorrhizalFungi #WoodlandRestoration #Cumbria