The Underground Atlas

Beneath every forest, grassland, and field lies an invisible world that quietly sustains life on Earth. This world is woven together by mycorrhizal fungi - that live in symbiosis with plant roots. These fungi act like underground lifelines, delivering water and nutrients to plants, improving soil health, and even storing massive amounts of carbon.

But until now, this underground world was almost invisible.

The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) has now changed that by releasing the first-ever high-resolution map of Earth’s mycorrhizal biodiversity. The Underground Atlas uses over 2.8 billion fungal DNA sequences from soil samples collected in 130 countries to plot a detailed, 1 km² global map of underground fungal diversity. This unprecedented resource reveals where the world’s richest fungal ecosystems are - and how vulnerable they are to human activity.

Click anywhere in the world on the Underground Atlas and you can view a prediction of the number of mycorrhizal fungi species that can be found there. You can select to view a prediction of either Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi or Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi.

By revealing where underground fungal networks live and thrive, the Underground Atlas brings the global diversity of mycorrhizal fungi into view - and, it is hoped, will help us better understand and protect these vital ecosystems in a time of dramatic climate change.