Global Fungal Networks Vital for Climate Action and Carbon Storage

A global study reveals that topsoils house 110 quadrillion kilometres of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal hyphae, holding 300 million tonnes of carbon. These networks sequester an estimated four billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent annually. Hotspots include India’s Banni grasslands. However, agricultural expansion threatens these ecosystems, urging policymakers to integrate underground fungal networks into central climate action and conservation strategies.