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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

DC Environmental Film Festival @dceff.bsky.social · 4h

Big congratulations to @spun.earth’s Toby Kiers on being awarded a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant! You may remember Toby from our 2024 selection FLORA FAUNA FUNGA.

You can read the announcement here: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/arts/design/macarthur-foundation-2025-genius-grant-winners.html

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 7h

Congrats to Executive Director @tobykiers.bsky.social on being named a 2025 #MacFellow by the MacArthur Foundation (buff.ly/HOU1qb7). Also called the “Genius Grant,” it’s one of the largest awards in the US, honoring exceptionally talented and creative individuals.

Shout out to fellow awardees! 👏

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 1d

🚨SPUN’S Biodiversity Conservation Strategist, @catiacanteiro.bsky.social will be at the #IUCNcongress presenting our latest mycorrhizal maps to conservation leaders.

Schedule a meeting with Cátia: buff.ly/dy2amO3

Visit SPUN’s event page: buff.ly/aQ7L97Y

SPUN at IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

www.spun.earth

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 2d

What Everyone Should Know About Fungi by Age 15

5️⃣ Mycorrhizal fungi are often first responders post wildfires, droughts, and human disturbances, helping plants regenerate, rebuild root systems & reestablish nutrient pathways.

See the top 10 list (buff.ly/nMNaB60) and follow for new fungal facts.

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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Adriana Corrales @adricorrales.bsky.social · 5d

We have an article about integrating fungi in policy lead by
@catiacanteiro.bsky.social !! @spun.earth

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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Adriana Corrales @adricorrales.bsky.social · 5d

This is a beautiful volume in the Current Biology magazine about Fungi with gorgeous illustrations! highly recommended 🧡 🍄🍄 🤩 www.currentconservation.org/issues/19-3/

19.3 | Current Conservation

Before their ecological relevance and unique properties were revealed to me, my earliest memory of fungi was as a whimsical toadstool in the background of a fairytale book. Growing up, I also saw them...

www.currentconservation.org

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 7d

Figure 1. Fig 1. Ectomycorrhizal fungi being introduced together with their plant hosts on Isla Victoria, Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina, in 1936. Source: Colección y Archivo Visual Patagónico; Photographer: Antonio Lynch; courtesy of Federico Silin.

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 7d

How did North American and European fungi end up in Argentine forests?

New research in @newphyt.bsky.social from UE @nahpo.bsky.social and @martin-nunez.bsky.social looks underground at how non-native tree species and their fungal partners have spread.

Read here: buff.ly/919OOs0

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 9d

What Everyone Should Know About Fungi by Age 15

4️⃣ Mycorrhizal fungi help draw down ~13 billion tons of carbon into the soil annually–nearly 1/3 of global emissions from fossil fuels.

See the top 10 list (buff.ly/56WQ1oO) and follow for new fungal facts.

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 12d

Led by SPUN's @adricorrales.bsky.social, we visited Huila, Colombia with -196°C liquid nitrogen to collect fungal RNA.

RNA offers a look into the function of fungal genes, but it degrades quickly, so all samples had to be frozen immediately.

Full field update from Colombia coming soon.

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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Outrider Foundation @outrider.org · 14d

Fungal networks in the soil are arguably the basis of much of life on Earth, but they’re understudied and under-appreciated in the conservation world.

Scientists at @spun.earth are trying to fix that. Listen in to @scifri.bsky.social episode to learn more 🎙️

‘Underground Atlas’ Shows How Vulnerable Fungal Networks Are

Underground fungal networks are crucial to life on Earth. But a new map shows that less than 10% of fungal hotspots are in protected areas.

buff.ly

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Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 @gsb2026.bsky.social · 14d

👏🏾 A big shout out to @spun.earth and the Global Initiative of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment for sponsoring 9 students to attend our conference!

Students who applied for our travel grants, check your email inbox.

@thegsbi.bsky.social @lindolab.bsky.social @carlosbarreto.bsky.social

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 16d

What Everyone Should Know About Fungi by Age 15

3️⃣ Mycorrhizal fungi underpin food production. Most crops we rely on depend on mycorrhizal fungi for nutrient absorption, access to water and protection from heavy metals.

See the top 10 list (buff.ly/56WQ1oO) and follow for new fungal facts.

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 23d

What Everyone Should Know About Fungi by Age 15

2️⃣ > 400 million years ago, mycorrhizal fungi enabled plants to transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments, making life on land possible.

See the top 10 list (buff.ly/77S4PQF ) and follow for new fungal facts.

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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Francis M. Martin @fmartin54.bsky.social · 27d

Our article "Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with Tuber spp. Enhances host performances in Pinus and Carya and induces host-specific patterns in defense-related regulation in the leaf transcriptomes" has been published online in Mycorrhiza. Great job Xiaoping!

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with Tuber spp. Enhances host performances in Pinus and Carya and induces host-specific patterns in defense-related regulation in the leaf transcriptomes - Mycorrhiza

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) colonize roots to establish symbiotic associations with plants. Sporocarps of the EMF Tuber spp. are considered as a delicacy in numerous countries and is a kind of EMF of ...

link.springer.com

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · 28d

Ever sampled frozen soil before? 🧊

SPUN's Michael Van Nuland and Jinsu Elhance, with local collaborator @mmuscarella.bsky.social explored the coastal tundra plain before traveling to higher elevations in the Arctic foothill tundra finding new flowers, fungi & wildlife with the changing terrain.

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · Sep 8

What Everyone Should Know About Fungi by Age 15

1️⃣ Just one teaspoon of healthy soil can contain 100 meters of fungal hyphae.

See the top 10 list (buff.ly/77S4PQF) and follow for new fungal facts.

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · Sep 4

Permafrost has long been a carbon sink, but what happens when the Arctic tundra thaws?

SPUN's Jinsu Elhance and Michael Van Nuland traveled to Alaska, joining collaborator Mario Muscarella, to determine who is living belowground and how they can provide resilience in these ecosystems.

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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Justin Stewart @thecrobe.bsky.social · Sep 2

Over 70% of Earth's ecoregions have yet to be sampled for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

By analyzing eDNA sample locations, we found most soils are unsampled. Drylands are especially overlooked despite covering almost 1/3 of the Earth's terrestrial land.

academic.oup.com/femsle/artic...

Map of unsampled ecosystems for AM fungal eDNA from the GlobalAMFungi database.

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · Sep 1

Authors Tengteng Li, Richard P. Phillips, Matthias C. Rillig, Gerrit Angst, @tobykiers.bsky.social, Paola Bonfante, Nico Eisenhauer & Zhanfeng Liu highlight how incorporating mycorrhizal diversity in reforestation, conservation & climate policies can help address the biodiversity & climate crisis.

Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · Sep 1

Can a forest be restored without fungi?

Successful forest restoration relies not only on trees, but on their belowground fungal partners and our strategies need to reflect that.

See the diagram providing guidelines to enhancing restoration success and read the full paper here: buff.ly/K5AHz0u

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Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) @spun.earth · Aug 25

Why is everyone talking about mycorrhizal fungi?

See illustrator Alex Boersma’s explainer diagram and learn more about mycorrhizal fungi here: www.spun.earth/networks/myc...

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The Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative @thegsbi.bsky.social · Aug 21

🎉 Registration for the 4th Global Soil Biodiversity Conference is now OPEN 🎉

Early bird registration is open until December 15th ,2025 🦜

Registration page 👇

globalsoilbiodiversity2026.org/registration/

Registration - Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026

Registration Early-Bird Registrations Until December 15, 2025 at 23:59 PST Early-Bird Delegate$875.00 Early-Bird Student$525.00 Early-Bird Single Day$600.00 Regular Registrations Until February 16, 20...

globalsoilbiodiversity2026.org

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Reposted by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · Aug 15

What if the key to saving Britain’s rainforests is underground? 🍄🌲

In this Guardian feature, Kew PhD researcher David Satori journeys into Scotland's Ballachuan Hazelwood, uncovering the ancient fungal relationships that could guide future conservation and restoration efforts.
👉 lnkd.in/ebVWKydH

A person wearing a brown checked shirt stands in a moss-covered woodland, looking at the camera, with tall trees and green grass in the background.

Close-up of two small, glossy brown mushrooms growing among bright green moss, with a few fallen golden leaves in the background.

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · Aug 15

Magic mushrooms: how scientists discovered fungi are the secret ingredient for restoring the world’s forests

Healthy fungal networks help trees and plants grow, making them key to successful reforestation. The only problem? Almost nothing is known about this subterranean ecology

www.theguardian.com

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