Underground fungal networks and ecosystems play a far bigger role in carbon cycling, plant cooperation, and ecosystem resilience than previously understood, according to groundbreaking research by ecologist Dr. Toby Kiers, winner of the 2026 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
Underground fungal networks and ecosystems form a vast, hidden web beneath forests, grasslands, and agricultural landscapes. These networks, created by mycorrhizal fungi entwined with plant roots, move nutrients and carbon in ways that sustain biodiversity and strengthen resilience to environmental stress. Dr. Kiers’ work has shed new light on these subterranean systems and elevated their importance in global conservation planning.
The Tyler Prize, often described as the “Nobel Prize for the environment,” recognizes individuals whose scientific achievements significantly advance environmental protection or sustainability. Dr. Kiers, a professor of evolutionary biology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, received this year’s prize for her pioneering research on mycorrhizal fungi and their contributions to ecosystem function and climate regulation.
Mycorrhizal fungi form microscopic thread-like structures that link plant roots across landscapes. Through these connections, plants and fungi exchange nutrients, water, and carbon in a symbiotic relationship that supports growth and resilience. Dr. Kiers and her colleagues have shown that this underground web also plays a substantial role in regulating the global carbon cycle by helping soil retain carbon that plants absorb from the atmosphere.
Estimates indicate that plants allocate an extraordinary amount of carbon, billions of tons each year, to these fungal partners, highlighting the significance of underground networks for climate systems. Dr. Kiers’ research highlights that these systems deserve greater attention in climate strategies, restoration efforts, and biodiversity conservation frameworks.
A key contribution of Dr. Kiers’ work has been the development of the Underground Atlas, a global digital map documenting mycorrhizal fungal diversity. This interactive tool draws on field data and advanced DNA sequencing to reveal hotspots of underground fungal biodiversity. The atlas helps scientists and policymakers identify areas where soil ecosystems are richest and most vulnerable, guiding efforts to protect these essential systems.
The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), co-founded by Dr. Kiers, unites scientists, Indigenous communities, and conservation practitioners to promote mapping, study, and protection of fungal biodiversity worldwide. SPUN’s work underscores that soil ecosystems are not inert backgrounds to surface life but dynamic systems fundamental to plant health, water cycles, nutrient flow, and carbon storage.
Understanding underground fungal networks and ecosystems deepens scientific insight into how ecosystems function. Studies show that fungal networks help distribute phosphorus and other nutrients where they are most needed, enabling plants to cope with environmental stresses such as drought or soil degradation. Dr. Kiers’ research also reveals that disruptions to these networks, from land conversion, pollution, or erosion, can undermine ecosystem stability and resilience.
This work builds on decades of soil ecology research, expanding the field’s scope from visible plant interactions to complex below-ground dynamics. Soil fungal networks have been described as the biological infrastructure of terrestrial ecosystems, with effects that ripple through biodiversity, food webs, and climate processes.
The 2026 Tyler Prize recognizes not only scientific discovery but also commitment to translating that knowledge into action. Dr. Kiers’ scientific leadership and public engagement help bring soil ecology into global conservation conversations, encouraging policymakers to integrate below-ground systems into climate commitments and land management strategies.
Investing in underground fungal research and protection aligns with broader efforts to conserve soil health, enhance carbon sequestration, and sustain agricultural productivity. As global climate goals increasingly emphasize nature-based solutions, understanding the full breadth of ecosystem processes, above and below ground, becomes paramount.
Underground fungal networks and ecosystems also offer new perspectives on biodiversity. Fungi host a remarkable range of species and genetic diversity, much of it still unexplored. Recognizing these networks as critical ecological infrastructure reinforces the need for comprehensive biodiversity assessments that include soil organisms and microbial communities.
The Tyler Prize’s acknowledgment of Dr. Kiers’ work highlights how science can reveal hidden but essential environmental processes. By mapping and advocating for the protection of underground fungal networks, researchers are expanding the frontiers of conservation beyond forests and rivers to the living soil that supports them.
The work of Dr. Kiers and others in this field invites policymakers, scientists, land managers, and conservationists to consider soil systems as active partners in climate mitigation and ecosystem resilience. As nations refine climate strategies and biodiversity targets, integrating underground fungal ecosystems into planning and policy will help ensure nature’s full complexity is protected.
Underground fungal networks and ecosystems remind us that much of Earth’s life-support system operates unseen. Recognizing and safeguarding this hidden half of the biosphere strengthens efforts to address climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss holistically.
