HMN 2026: What is the Hidden underground, fungi drive carbon storage, crop health and ecosystem stability

Fungi are key constituents of the soil microbial community, playing a major role in moving carbon and energy through the soil food web. A recent analysis carried out by Professor Matthias C. Rillig from Freie Universität Berlin highlights the importance of soil fungal communities for ecosystem stability, agricultural productivity and carbon storage.

The article, “Fungal Diversity, Ecology, and Functions in Soil Ecosystems,” is published in Nature Reviews Microbiology.

Soil-based fungi form symbiotic associations with plant roots, enabling the organisms to exchange water and nutrients and, in some cases, even protecting them from disease.

Many plant species depend on these extensive mycorrhizal networks to supply the nutrients they need to survive, such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Fungi also play an important role as decomposers, breaking down organic substances to drive major ecosystem processes.

“Fungi are the invisible cornerstone of many ecosystems. The better we can understand these organisms, as well as their diversity and functions within their specific ecosystems, the better we will be able to predict the consequences of global environmental change, including climate change. It will also enable us to manage agricultural systems in a more sustainable way and more effectively investigate the connections between environmental, animal and human health,” says Matthias Rillig, professor of ecology at Freie Universität Berlin’s Institute of Biology.

Fungi and the future

Rillig has spent decades researching the ecology of soil-based organisms, fungal biodiversity and the consequences of global change for individual ecosystems.

In his latest overview study, Rillig summarizes the current state of knowledge surrounding the diversity, ecology and functional roles of fungi. He also highlights areas where more research is required—for example, when it comes to understanding the effects of global change on fungal communities and what this means for human, animal and environmental health.

Due to their position at the bottom of the soil food web, fungi are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic factors such as climate change, changes in land use and chemical pollution.

“Changes in the composition of fungal communities can seriously impact ecosystems and agricultural production. It is also important to remember that fungi can be destructive pathogens. Their role in antifungal resistance requires further investigation, particularly with regard to the consequences that an increased frequency of antifungal resistance has for both human and veterinary medicine,” says Rillig.

The study makes it clear that, when taking human, animal and environmental health into account, we also need to consider fungi and the important role they play in One Health and planetary health.

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