Q&A with Our Favorite ‘Underground Astronaut’ Dr. Toby Kiers

Creativity is contagious. So is levity, and playfulness, especially during a time where we work on serious threats to our planet. When I first met Dr. Toby Kiers, I was amazed by her deep knowledge of mycorrhizal fungal networks and their role in carbon drawdown, but what really inspired me was the spirit she brought to her work. I couldn’t help but immediately become a fan of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, aka SPUN! They are working on a piece of the Climate equation that has gone unconsidered by traditional conservation values, and are transforming the way we look at biodiversity.

In her TED Talk, Dr. Kiers says, “So I want you to imagine a market economy that's 400 million years old, one that's so ubiquitous that it operates in almost every ecosystem of the world, so huge that it can connect millions of traders simultaneously, and so persistent that it survived mass extinctions. It's here, right now, under our feet. You just can't see it.”

We caught up with Dr. Kiers, the Executive Director and Chief Scientist at SPUN, who is also Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, to learn more.

So much of our conversations about biodiversity and protecting ecosystems is focused above ground, what initially inspired you to dig deeper? What brought you to the mycorrhizal fungal networks of Planet Earth?

(Dr. Kiers) The underground has always held secrets for me. Most people want to go to the moon, but there are unexplored galaxies just below our feet. Why go up, if you can burrow down? Soils contain some of the most complex ‘operas of interactions’ on earth.

It is surprising that mycorrhizal fungi are a global blind spot in conservation and climate agendas. They are an ancient life-support system that need to be mapped the way ocean currents and global vegetation are mapped. As scientists, we have documented their importance for decades. But this work has been inaccessible. Our aim is to support “underground astronauts” to sample remote ecosystems, and discover network structures and flows under their feet.

And from there, what brought you to your work today with SPUN?

(Dr. Kiers) We founded SPUN because mycorrhizal networks — and healthy soil systems — are disappearing at an alarming rate. The destruction of mycorrhizal associations accelerates climate change, biodiversity loss, and interrupts global nutrient cycles. You can think of mycorrhizal networks as the coral reefs of the soil — they support a huge biodiversity of organisms, sequester carbon, and stitch together ecosystems to move nutrients to plants. We founded SPUN to start mapping the biodiversity of these communities across the Earth.

SPUN's mission is to "Protect and harness the mycorrhizal networks that regulate the Earth’s climate." Why is it important to protect these mycorrhizal networks? What is the urgency to protect them? And is there a lesson we can learn here with protecting these networks and at the same time harnessing their benefits that will help humans understand why continuing to protect them is so important?

(Dr. Kiers) SPUN’s aim is to work with the global community to provide rigorous, novel data about Earth’s mycorrhizal fungi. The diversity and activity of these fungi support the health of global soil ecosystems, which provide critical ecosystem services and regulate the Earth’s climate. There is urgency because the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warns that 90% of the Earth’s topsoil is predicted to be at risk by 2050. Urbanization, agricultural expansion, nutrient deposition, and logging are of particular concern, with studies showing significant decreases in diversity and function under these land use changes. Soil fungi are invisible, and their loss is largely undocumented.

Policy makers need to better understand and value the role of mycorrhizal networks. As soils become degraded, fungal biodiversity disappears from our climate toolkit and it becomes harder to regulate nutrient fluxes — this is especially true in agriculture systems. By protecting these systems now, we will be able to better harness them in the future.

Is there a specific project or expedition or location right now that you have your eye on? 

(Dr. Kiers) We recently returned from Lesotho [in Southern Africa]. Known as the “Mountain Kingdom”, it is the only nation entirely above 3,000 feet. Like most nations, Lesotho is on the frontline of climate change. Their extreme high-altitude ecosystems are facing rapid warming, increased droughts, and intense flooding. But unlike other nations — which generally focus on aboveground ecosystems — Lesotho is prioritizing soil (known locally as mobu) as a way to mitigate climate risk and build resilient farming systems. Soil is among the most valuable resources in Lesotho. Over 70% of Basotho people rely on agriculture for subsistence and income. Farmers in Lesotho are known for adopting a method called likoti, a practice in which crops are planted in narrow pits and topsoil remains untilled. Working with three researchers at the National University of Lesotho, we hypothesized that these unique farming techniques may help foster mycorrhizal fungi that make their agriculture more resilient in a changing climate. Now we are waiting for the fungi to be sequenced. It was exciting to be part of part of a countrywide survey of mycorrhizal biodiversity

Beyond your Get Involved page, is there one thing people can do right now to begin better understanding the underground and how interconnected we all are in this world?

(Dr. Kiers) Underground conservation requires a shift to acknowledge that the biodiversity we have historically cherished — plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles — is generated and maintained by complex and unseen interactions that also need targeted protection. The first step is to incorporate underground ecosystems into global conservation schemes. People can help by signing the Flora Fauna Funga (3F’s) initiative, here. Most fundamental, however, is encouraging the public to start valuing hidden biodiversity.

And as Dr. Kiers says, “Why go up, if you can burrow down?”

We’re in a defining moment — a moment where we can choose to be overwhelmed, disconnected and discouraged, or where we can choose to be positive, embrace change and lift up the work of others seeking a better future together. We’re proud to support the work of the people and organizations out changing this world for the better — for all of us. Some may be small, some large. All are mighty. Each month, we’ll be highlighting one of our Mighty Partners and we encourage you to get to know them, support them, and share their work with your friends, families and colleagues. Let’s get to work.

All photos provided by SPUN