Soil fungi review links hidden networks to crops, carbon and health
A Nature Reviews Microbiology analysis says soil fungi help stabilize ecosystems, support agriculture and shape carbon storage.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
A new review argues that soil fungi are central to ecosystem stability, farm productivity and the storage of carbon below ground. The analysis by Matthias C. Rillig of Freie Universität Berlin says fungal communities help move carbon and energy through soil, making them a key part of how land systems function.
The review, titled “Fungal Diversity, Ecology, and Functions in Soil Ecosystems,” was published in Nature Reviews Microbiology, according to Freie Universität Berlin. Rillig, a professor of ecology at the university’s Institute of Biology, has studied soil organisms, fungal diversity and global change effects on ecosystems for decades, the university said.
According to the review, fungi are major members of soil microbial communities. They form partnerships with plant roots that allow plants and fungi to trade water and nutrients, and in some cases these relationships can help protect plants from disease.
Rillig’s analysis says many plant species rely on mycorrhizal networks for nutrients needed to survive, including phosphorus and nitrogen. The review also identifies fungi as decomposers that break down organic matter, helping drive broad ecosystem processes.
“Fungi are the invisible cornerstone of many ecosystems,” Rillig said in a statement released by Freie Universität Berlin. He said better knowledge of fungal organisms, their diversity and their roles in specific ecosystems would improve forecasts of global environmental change, including climate change.
Rillig also said that understanding fungi could support more sustainable agricultural management and help researchers study links between environmental, animal and human health. The review frames fungi as part of both One Health and planetary health, approaches that consider human health alongside animal and environmental systems.
Risks from global change
The review says fungi sit near the base of the soil food web, which makes them sensitive to human-driven pressures. Freie Universität Berlin identified climate change, changes in land use and chemical pollution as examples of factors that can affect fungal communities.
Changes in those communities can carry consequences for ecosystems and agriculture, Rillig said. Because fungi help plants obtain nutrients and help recycle organic material, shifts in their makeup can affect both crop health and broader soil processes, according to the review.
The analysis also points to gaps in current knowledge. Rillig highlights the need for more research on how global change alters fungal communities and what those shifts mean for environmental, animal and human health.
Fungi can also act as pathogens, Rillig said. He said their role in antifungal resistance needs further study, especially the effects of rising antifungal resistance for human and veterinary medicine.
The publication details list the paper as Matthias C. Rillig, “Fungal diversity, ecology and functions in soil ecosystems,” in Nature Reviews Microbiology, with DOI 10.1038/s41579-026-01321-y. Freie Universität Berlin said the work summarizes current knowledge on fungal diversity, ecology and function while identifying research priorities for the field.
This story draws on original reporting from Phys.org.