Lancaster University scientists are working as part of a new transformative project aiming to revolutionise global food security and climate change strategies by uncovering the fundamental role of soil fungi.
The groundbreaking research will reveal how the diverse microscopic networks beneath our feet are crucial in boosting crop resilience, enhancing nutrient absorption, and acting as powerful carbon sinks. It is hoped the findings will unlock nature-based solutions to reshape agricultural practices to tackle important global challenges.
The project, a ten-year Royal Society Faraday Fellowship, awarded to Professor Katie Field from the University of Sheffield, will investigate previously overlooked fungal diversity to reveal its crucial role in nutrient exchange between plants and mycorrhizal fungi (a type of soil fungi found nearly wherever there are plants), how they lock carbon into the soil, and the resilience of these crucial networks.
Researchers will also explore the wider effects of diverse fungi on carbon, plant health and ecosystems, ultimately turning the new discoveries into practical strategies for sustainable agriculture and climate mitigation.
The research team includes scientists from Lancaster University and The Natural History Museum with Lancaster researchers receiving around £1 million funding of the overall £8 million research investment. Lancaster scientists will use this to set up long-term field experiments, at the University's Hazelrigg site, that examine plant diversity and mycorrhizal fungal networks.
Research aspects Lancaster scientists will focus on include using stable isotopes of carbon (13C) to trace carbon from plants to soil biodiversity. They will also run experiments looking at drought conditions and invertebrates to test how plant diversity and connectivity to fungal networks imparts resilience in grasslands.
Professor David Johnson, Chair in Soil Microbial Ecology at the Lancaster Environment Centre, said: "This new collaboration will generate critical understanding of how underground fungal networks function in grasslands.
"We will use cutting-edge stable isotope tracer techniques to measure how symbiotic fungi associated with plant roots channel carbon from plants into soil, and how external factors such as drought and herbivory affect these pathways."
Professor Katie Field, from the University of Sheffield, said: "This investment reflects growing recognition of the vital but overlooked roles fungi play in the health of our planet.
"The freedom to pursue fundamental research of this scale, with the potential for real-world impact on agriculture, ecosystems, and climate, is truly exciting."
Historically, research has largely centred on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, long believed to be the most widespread and essential fungal symbionts of plants. Professor Field's research has revealed plants form partnerships with a much wider range of fungi than previously understood. This includes the discovery that plants, even major crops and species once considered non-mycorrhizal, also form associations with Mucoromycotina 'fine root endophytes' (MFRE). Unlike AM fungi, MFRE can use carbon outside the plant and still form mutually beneficial relationships with their hosts.
In the first phase of the project, the team will explore how diverse mycorrhizal fungi form networks with plants and how these networks work across scales using a unique combination of long-term field and lab-based experiments. Using this new knowledge, they'll develop new ways to boost soil health by improving how fungi are introduced into soils and managed. These methods will be designed for both farms and natural environments with the aim of helping crops absorb nutrients more efficiently, cutting down on chemical fertilisers, restoring healthy soils and sequestering and storing more carbon underground.
Throughout the 10-year project, the team will work with stakeholders, including Syngenta, PlantLife, and ADAS, to translate discovery-focused fundamental research into practical applications. This includes developing policy frameworks that integrate mycorrhizal management into nature-based climate solutions, agricultural sustainability initiatives, and ecosystem restoration efforts.
