From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Fungi, Security, and the Future of Food
Why does soil biodiversity matter?
Although soil may no longer be the ‘black box’ that it once was for ecologists and agricultural scientists, the ecosystems beneath our feet are complex. We have only lit a candle in a very large dark room. Microorganisms, including fungi, dominate soil life and are necessary for our ecosystems to function, and for our ability to grow food.
The fact is that plants have been cooperating with soil microorganisms for hundreds of millions of years. Evidence suggests fungi, known as mycorrhizal fungi, were key to the evolution of plants onto terrestrial environments. Most of the plants we have today still associate with these fungi and many need them for their survival and growth.
Fungi grow into the soil to create vast below-ground networks, while also growing into plant roots to retrieve carbon. In this way, the fungi can forage and deliver resources like phosphorus that the plants can’t easily access themselves.
PLANTS HAVE BEEN COOPERATING WITH SOIL MICROORGANISMS FOR HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS.
But the fungi do more than take carbon from plants and give them phosphorus. They can enhance
