Hidden carbon: Fungi and their 'necromass' absorb one-third of the carbon emitted by burning fossil fuels every year
Beneath our feet, remarkable networks of fungal filaments stretch out in all directions. These mycorrhizal fungi live in partnership with plants, offering nutrients, water and protection from pests in exchange for carbon-rich ...
How much bigger? These microscopic filaments take up the equivalent of more than a third (36%) of the world's annual carbon emissions from fossil fuels—every year.
As we search for ways to slow or stop the climate crisis, we often look to familiar solutions: cutting fossil fuel use, switching to renewables and restoring forests. This research shows we need to look down too, into our soils.
This fungi-plant partnership is 400 million years old
Mycorrhizal fungi are hard to spot, but their effects are startling. They thread networks of microscopic filaments through the soil and into the roots of almost every plant on earth.
But this is no hostile takeover. They've been partnering with plants for more than 400 million years. The length of these complex relationships has given them a vital role in our ecosystems.
Mycorrhizal fungi growing with a plant root. Credit: Dr Yoshihiro Kobae, Author provided
Carbon is captured by plants through photosynthesis, some of this carbon then goes into the networks of mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi also will release some of this carbon as CO₂ and as compounds into the soil. Credit: Adam Frew/Author provided using BioRender
This image shows mycorrhizal fungi (blue) growing inside plant roots, where they obtain carbon and provide plants with access to resources such as nutrients. Credit: Adam Frew