A HIDDEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Interactive Map — A HIDDEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Beneath our feet lies an extraordinary network of microscopic fungal filaments. SPUN (Society for the Protection of Underground Networks) is a scientific research organisation dedicated to mapping and protecting these underground fungal networks, which play an essential role in the health of ecosystems.

This interactive globe reveals the hidden world of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi live in partnership with around 70% of plant species, providing water and nutrients in exchange for carbon captured by plants from the atmosphere. Their microscopic filaments, called hyphae, spread through soils across the planet.

Using more than 16,000 soil samples and a machine-learning model, scientists have estimated the density of these fungal networks across the world’s land surfaces.

The results are astonishing: the upper layers of the world’s soils contain an estimated 110 quadrillion kilometres of fungal filaments — nearly a billion times the distance between the Earth and the Sun!

Grasslands account for around 40% of this total length, while agricultural soils contain only about half the density of fungal filaments found in wild ecosystems.

By making these invisible networks visible, SPUN reveals the extraordinary scale of life beneath our feet and highlights the importance of understanding and protecting it.

EXPLORE THE MAP

Use one finger to rotate the globe, pinch to zoom in or select a region to explore its underground fungal networks.

CREDITS

A project by the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN).

The research, published in Science, was conducted by an international team led by SPUN researcher Justin Stewart and Corentin Bisot of the AMOLF Physics Institute.

Scientific authors: Justin D. Stewart, Corentin Bisot, Rachael I. M. Cargill, Michael E. Van Nuland, Heidi-Jayne Hawkins, Loreto Oyarte Galvez, Malin Klein, Marije van Son, Victoria Terry, Louis Paré, Claudia Banchini, Franck Stefani, Felix Kahane, Kai-Kai Lin, Renato K. Braghiere, Katie J. Field, Nadejda A., Jinsu Elhance, Vasilis Kokkoris, Merlin Sheldrake, James T. Weedon, Thomas S. Shimizu, Stuart West and E. Toby Kiers.

Data visualisation and development: Moritz Stefaner, Truth & Beauty

Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Protomaps