Warming and the Wood-Wide-Web

Mycorrhizal networks of underground fungal filaments have been described as a 'wood-wide-web'. These networks are believed to have ecological roles, such as exchanging essential nutients with plants. The 'wood-wide-web' is also thought to help with the absorption and retention of water, protect some plants from pathogens and even hold the soil together. The effects of climate change on organisms above ground are very obvious. Little consideration has been given, however, to the impact of global heating on the subterranean' wood-wide-web' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/fungi-extreme-heat-aoe). A team from the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) is involved in a study in the Apennine Mountains of Northern Italy. In July 2022, this region experienced its worst drought for 70 years. The SPUN study involved taking core soil samples from many locations of these mountains. The precise location of each sample was determined, using GPS. These samples are being analysed in the laboratory for their mycorrhizal content. The intention is to subsequently return to the sampling areas, in an effort to determine the impact of extreme heat on the 'wood-wide-web'. It's argued that, we need a better idea of the effects of climate change on these underground networks. Without it, we have incomplete information about the environmental impacts and how long they are likely to last.