Society for the Protection of Underground Networks

Mycorrhizal fungi research organization

Society for the Protection of Underground Networks

Abbreviation| SPUN
Established| 2021

Director

| Prof. Dr. Toby Kiers

Board of directors

| Mark Tercek, Jeremy Grantham, Rose Marcario
Affiliations| Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, AMOLF, Fungi Foundation, GlobalFungi
Website| spun.earth

The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) is a science-based initiative to map and protect the mycorrhizal networks that regulate the Earth's climate and ecosystems.[1]

The organization was founded in 2021.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The Executive Director is Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.[8] The stated goals of The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) are mapping,[9][10][11][12] protecting,[13][14][15] and harnessing[16][17] mycorrhizal fungi.

SPUN is activating mycologists around the world, working with local collaborators to obtain core soil samples from all types of ecosystems. The goal is to survey, locate, and identify the diverse domains of mycelia and create a fungal atlas, a biological reference guide to ensure their protection and continuity.[18]

## Research

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Map, sample, DNA extraction and analysis. SPUN workflow.

The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks samples soil and extracts and sequences fungal DNA in order to learn which fungi are present. The geo-located fungal taxa are then fed into a machine learning model that predicts belowground fungal biodiversity on a global scale.[19]

### Expeditions

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In order to identify mycorrhizal fungi present at a given location, The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks takes soil samples for analysis.

SPUN youth group spun.youth 'Fungi For Future' awareness march Amsterdam 2023.

To date, SPUN has organized expeditions in Ecuador, Colombia, Italy,[20] Palmyra Atoll,[21] Chile,[22] Kazakhstan,[23] Corsica,[24] Ghana,[25] and Lesotho.[26] A number of factors are considered when choosing expedition locations, including sampling intensity at a location, predicted biodiversity, and feasibility of permitting. Locations or eco-regions that have had less intense sampling in the past are given priority.

SPUN scientist Dr. Bethan Manley samples soil for mycorrhizal fungi in Kazakhstan.

### Sampling

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SPUN diagram of sampling protocol

SPUN follows a standardized sampling protocol (see External links below) for collecting soil samples. Soil cores are taken at nine points in a geolocated grid. These soil cores are then homogenized into a single soil sample. Metadata concerning botanical life, land use, and collaborators are recorded.

### DNA extraction and sequencing

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In a lab, fungal DNA is extracted from the soil samples. This DNA is sent to be sequenced and then run through a bioinformatics pipeline that assigns a fungal taxon to each sequence present.

### Mapping

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The geo-located fungal taxa from the samples are then fed into a machine learning model that predicts below-ground fungal biodiversity on a global scale.[19] These maps are used to determine future expedition locations and provide recommendations for conservation priorities.

### Carbon pool research

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In June 2023 The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks scientists and collaborators published a paper that estimates that 13 billion tons of CO2 is allocated to mycorrhizal fungi annually.[27][28]

## Programs

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In addition to SPUN-led sampling efforts the organization runs a program called Underground Explorers,[29] that funds mycorrhizal research in under explored regions. As of August 2024 the program has awarded grants to 92 researchers in 43 different countries.[30] 82% of grantees are based in the Global South.

Justin Stewart takes a soil sample near Burabay, Kazakhstan (Photo Yevgeniy Lechsenko)

## Advisors

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The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks works closely with a number of scientists and leaders from around the world. SPUN's advisory board members[31] are Dr. Merlin Sheldrake, Giuliana Furci, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jane Goodall, and Paul Hawken.

## Conservation partners

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The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks works with The Nature Conservancy, the Fungi Foundation, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and The Association for Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan among others.

## Funders

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The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks has received funding from philanthropic family foundations including The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, the Schmidt Family Foundation,[32] The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and The Mighty Arrow Family Foundation among others.

## References

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1. ^ Harvey, Fiona (30 November 2021). "World's vast networks of underground fungi to be mapped for first time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
2. ^ "Wood Wide Web: Scientists to map hotspots of fungal life". BBC News. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
3. ^ Harvey, Fiona (30 November 2021). "World's vast networks of underground fungi to be mapped for first time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
4. ^ Romaine, Jenna (30 November 2021). "Earth's vast underground 'circulatory system' will be mapped for first time — and it's made of fungi". The Hill. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
5. ^ "Why a zombie fungus can't be underestimated, according to this biologist". ABC News. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
6. ^ Blakely, Rhys (10 November 2023). "Fungi experts root out hidden power of 'wood wide web'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
7. ^ "Los 'guardianes' del subsuelo: viaje al reino de los hongos". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 22 February 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
8. ^ "The team saving the world's vast networks of underground fungi". ABC listen. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
9. ^ Sengupta, Somini (28 July 2022). "Unearthing the Secret Superpowers of Fungus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
10. ^ Sengupta, Somini (2 August 2022). "What fungi can teach us". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
11. ^ Kahn, Jennifer (8 June 2023). "The Man Who Turned the World on to the Genius of Fungi". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
12. ^ Sciama, Yves. (4 July 2021) Mission Cartographier le réseau mondial de champignons. Science et Vie.
13. ^ Popkin, Gabriel (7 July 2022). "A Fungal Safari: A new nonprofit has launched an ambitious effort to raise the profile of often invisible soil fungi". Science.
14. ^ Averill, Colin; Anthony, Mark A.; Baldrian, Petr; Finkbeiner, Felix; van den Hoogen, Johan; Kiers, Toby; Kohout, Petr; Hirt, Eliane; Smith, Gabriel Reuben; Crowther, Tom W. (3 October 2022). "Defending Earth's terrestrial microbiome". Nature Microbiology. 7 (11): 1717–1725\. doi:10.1038/s41564-022-01228-3. hdl:1871.1/d7aca852-cd04-4be7-ab7c-2e1afd0fa5f2. ISSN 2058-5276. PMID 36192539. S2CID 252695132.
15. ^ Kiers, Toby; Tercek, Mark (12 December 2022). "Breakingviews - Guest view: Protecting Earth's underground heroes". Reuters. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
16. ^ "How a few bags of dirt could help make the planet more resilient to climate change". Washington Post. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
17. ^ "Analysis | Vast Networks of Fungi May Hold Key to Climate Fight". Washington Post. 6 June 2023. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
18. ^ Hawken, Paul (2025). Carbon: The Book of Life (1st ed.). New York: Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-525-42744-5.
19. ^ a b "Machine learning helps researchers identify underground fungal networks". Mongabay Environmental News. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
20. ^ Moens, Jonathan (9 January 2023). "The burning question about fungi: what happens to them in extreme heat?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
21. ^ "Invasive palms and WWII damaged an island paradise. Could fungi help to restore it?". www.nature.com. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
22. ^ Sengupta, Somini (28 July 2022). "Unearthing the Secret Superpowers of Fungus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
23. ^ Moens, Jonathan (8 October 2023). "How a few bags of dirt could help make the planet more resilient to climate change". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
24. ^ Schlanger, Zoë (23 October 2023). "The Invisible Force Keeping Carbon in the Ground". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
25. ^ Wight, Andrew. "These Scientists Are Racing Against Time To Find Rare Fungi In Ghana". Forbes. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
26. ^ "Lesotho". www.spun.earth. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
27. ^ Hawkins, Heidi-Jayne; Cargill, Rachael I. M.; Van Nuland, Michael E.; Hagen, Stephen C.; Field, Katie J.; Sheldrake, Merlin; Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A.; Kiers, E. Toby (5 June 2023). "Mycorrhizal mycelium as a global carbon pool". Current Biology. 33 (11): R560 – R573. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.027. hdl:1942/40689. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 37279689. S2CID 259078574.
28. ^ Burdick, Alan (1 March 2025). "How Fungi Move Among Us". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
29. ^ Affair, A. Public (24 July 2023). "The Underground World of Mycorrhizal Fungal Networks". WORT-FM 89.9. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
30. ^ "Underground Explorers". www.spun.earth. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
31. ^ Blakely, Rhys (10 November 2023). "Fungi experts root out hidden power of 'wood wide web'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
32. ^ "Mycorrhizal fungi, nature's 'wood wide web,' get a $3m conservation boost". Mongabay Environmental News. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.

## External links

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* Official website
* SPUN standardized sampling protocol