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

SPUN scientist @thecrobe.bsky.social joined @npr.org to explain the tiny fungal threads beneath our feet, how they support plants, and why mapping them matters for conservation, restoration, and climate models. Listen here: buff.ly/SNzr2qc

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

SPUN scientist @thecrobe.bsky.social joined @npr.org to explain the tiny fungal threads beneath our feet, how they support plants, and why mapping them matters for conservation, restoration, and climate models. Listen here: buff.ly/SNzr2qc

Hey @icom2026.bsky.social! I'm looking for AMF-focused postdoc opportunities in the UK + EU! My talk on combined dPCR quantification + long-read PacBio community profiling for GWAS will be on WED 13:30-15:30 in symposium #15! #ICOM26

ICOM 2026 attendees: SPUN is heading to Cairns. Justin Stewart (@thecrobe.bsky.social) will be representing SPUN across the conference, including a talk on our newest global mapping work and a hands-on R workshop. Come say hello. #ICOM2026 #MycorrhizalFungi #SoilEcology

#NatMicroPicks A network like none other! 🌍🍄 Global data and modeling estimates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form extensive underground networks that play a major role in plant carbon–nutrient exchange #MicroSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Global density and biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with ~70% of plant species, building hyphal networks that exchange nutrients for host-derived carbon. These tubular networks move ~1 billion metric tons of ...

science.org

Exciting times when fungi makes national radio. I spoke with Adrian Florido on NPR’s “All Things Considered” about our new research mapping the fungal networks that form part of Earth’s circulatory system. Listen Here: www.npr.org/2026/06/16/n... Explore Map: a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth

A new study in @science.org by an international team maps the distribution and mass of Earth’s living arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a microbial infrastructure made of tiny fungal tubes called hyphae. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/PISOj8k Read the study: buff.ly/xZYY3vA

~1 billion times the distance from Earth to the Sun. That is approx the total length of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae in topsoils. These microscopic fungal networks form one of Earth’s circulatory systems moving carbon and nutrients. Out now in @science.org : lnkd.in/eKAsVN_Z

Global topsoil contains ~110 quadrillion km of fungal threads, roughly one billion times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. A new study in @science.org maps this hidden arbuscular mycorrhizal infrastructure for the first time. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/PISOj8k

A hidden infrastructure

Mapping Earth’s underground mycorrhizal fungal networks — the hidden infrastructure beneath our feet.

a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth

Interested in #macroevolution, #macroecology, and mountain biodiversity? I'm recruiting a #postdoc for an NSF-funded project at Yale, in collaboration with Martha Muñoz (Yale) and Maya Stokes (Florida State University). I'll be at #Evol2026 and happy to chat! Link below

📣Our special professor Ciska Veen organizes a discussion at European Congress for Conservation Biology (ECCB) (Leiden, 10 July '26; 3 pm) on 'Making soil biodiversity a priority for conservation in policy and practise'🦠🪱 Info: eccb26leiden.eu Interested in pitching your idea? contact her!

A root–soil association index reveals life‐history strategies of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Odriozola et al. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The list of Ecology/Evolution/Marine Bio Labs recruiting grad students for Fall 2027 is live! PIs enter your position info here: forms.gle/MAGd4ohyPeoY... students (and PIs not recruiting) share the composite list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... Please share widely! 🧪

Ecology/Evolution/Marine Biology labs recruiting for Fall 2027

Please complete this form if you are a PI recruiting graduate students for a Fall 2027 start. If you are NOT recruiting, feel free to share the response sheet with prospective students looking for lab...

forms.gle

Biodiversity loss will decrease the future creditworthiness of nations Agarwala+ doi.org/10.1038/s415... "financial markets are systematically underpricing nature related risks, with consequences for public finances, nature and financial stability."

Biodiversity loss will decrease the future creditworthiness of nations - Nature Ecology & Evolution

Scenario modelling reveals how sovereign credit ratings and the cost of borrowing across 23 nations would change under partial collapses in timber production, wild pollination services and marine fish...

doi.org

Assistant Professor position available at Stanford University, in any area of Earth System Science. Apply by October 1, 2026. facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/assista...

Assistant Professor, Department of Earth System Science - Stanford University, California, United States

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Earth System Science (https://earthsystemscience.stanford.edu). Ea...

facultypositions.stanford.edu

We have an open-rank professorship position open @unileiden.bsky.social Institute of Biology: careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/Assistan... welcome to apply! due: 7 June

Even if future habitats remain suitable, many species may never reach them. A new study finds that under >4°C warming, ~78% of Earth’s land could lose the connectivity needed for wildlife migration by 2061–2080, increasing risks of isolation and biodiversity loss. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Warming erodes climate connectivity for terrestrial vertebrates - Nature Climate Change

The authors consider connectivity—specifically, the functional effectiveness of climate connectivity (FECC)—under climate change. Under high emissions (SSP5-8.5), FECC is projected to decline across 7...

nature.com

Fine-root trait variation in temperate trees follows arc-shape pattern along deep soil profiles 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... by Pietig et al. @WileyPlantSci #PlantScience

I'm hiring a postdoc to lead sedimentary aDNA reconstructions of alpine plant biodiversity as part of a broader project exploring the mechanisms of alpine plant resilience. Come join a collaborative team working in beautiful places! Bonus: postdocs at UMaine are unionized!

Such a devasting loss 💔 If you are able to, consider donating to support Adriana's family 👇🏽 www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...

Donate to Support for Jovani Catalan & Family, organized by Ivette Guzman

Dearest friends and family, We have set up this page to support Jovani Catalan and h… Ivette Guzman needs your support for Support for Jovani Catalan & Family

gofundme.com

Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe@aaberhe.com · 3mo ago

Prof. Adriana Romero-Olivares, UC Riverside, was doing incredible work on how fungi and ecosystems respond to global change. A rising voice, a dynamic scientist and educator, a young mother, wife and daughter gone far too soon. A huge loss. Her family, students and community are in my thoughts.

🎉 📰 Very happy to share the journal publication of our manuscript "Plant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulation"! #ScienceAdvancesResearch @science.org @teamthomma.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Plant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulation

Fungal effectors may have evolved from ancient antimicrobials, shaping plant microbiota and immunity during infection.

science.org

Global tree loss fell 14% in 2025 from the year before, according to a report published on Wednesday by the World Resources Institute, though that decline was partly offset by destruction from wildfires, which consumed about 26 million acres.

Global Deforestation Slows, W.R.I. Report Finds. But Wildfires Are Taking a Toll.

In 2025, the world razed less forest than any other year in the last decade. The bad news: global warming is making wildfires more frequent and intense.

nyti.ms

🌿 New study analyzes 111 papers focused on the relationship between Indigenous Peoples' lands and conservation outcomes. 75% show that Indigenous lands deliver conservation outcomes that are at least equal to state protected-areas. 📖 Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/D41kpCz

Journal of Ecology@journalofecology.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🚨We're accepting proposals for our latest Special Feature, "Mountain Biodiversity in the Anthropocene" joint with @animalecology.bsky.social, @jappliedecology.bsky.social and @funecology.bsky.social! 🏔️Deadline to submit is 17 May. For more info 👉️ buff.ly/iNVgR40

Humans really screwed up this planet beyond belief...  Nanoplastics interfere with plant-mycorrhizal communication and limit plant growth | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic

Nanoplastics interfere with plant-mycorrhizal communication and limit plant growth | The ISME Journal | Oxford Academic

More than 80% of land plants form symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi for nutrient uptake. As emerging soil pollutants, nanoplastics (NPs) accumulate in both crop and AM fungal tissue, posing non-negligible toxicity and health risks. However, whether and how NPs can impact plant-AM fungal partnership throughout the symbiotic process remains poorly understood. Here, using axenic root-fungal culture, fluorescence NP tracking, and real-time symbiotic signal monitoring, we show that during pre-colonization phase, NPs reduced spore germination rates (−48%) due to the NP accumulation on spore surface, hindering symbiotic signal perception. During the colonization phase, NPs entered fungal cells, disrupted organelles, and accelerated hyphal senescence, consequently reducing hyphal branching length (−22%) and secondary spore production (−32%). In real-world soil, inoculation of secondary spores (reproduced under NPs) formed fewer arbuscule structures (−46%) within maize roots with reduced carbon allocation to AM fungus, leading to lower hyphal length density (HLD) (−24%). During the post-colonization phase, lower HLD impaired the well-known function of phosphorus (P) mineralization by hyphae-enriched bacteria, reduced soil available P (−5.7%) and maize shoot P (−20%), eventually resulting in compromised plant performance. Our findings reveal an integrated yet largely underexplored mechanism of how NPs hinder plant performance by disrupting the dynamic relationship between plants and their symbiotic partners. In a broader context, understanding the alteration of plant-microbial interaction (rather than separately) under emerging stress can provide ecologically relevant implications for sustaining agricultural and terrestrial ecosystems.

sco.lt

What is your Biology or EEB departments minimum PhD stipend? Update it here: mlgaynor.com/BiologyPhDSt...

Applications now open for the UNIL Summer School on Modelling for Evolutionary Biology (31 Aug–5 Sep 2026, Lausanne)! For PhD & postdocs interested in formal approaches to evolutionary ecology (incl. social evo, life-history, species interactions). Scholarships available, Pls RP! shorturl.at/fo1GA

Join us! We are recruiting an Associate/ Assistant Professor in quantitative, systems and engineering biology (QSEB) @warwicklifesci.bsky.social . warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

Meet the people taking Earth Day underground. Help us make today #UnderEarthDay. -Visit www.spun.earth/under-earth-day -Share the video -Download the logo and post it today -Use #UnderEarthDay -Tag @spununderground #fungi #mycorrhizalfungi #mycology #ProtectTheUnderground