2023-06-17 20:00:53
Environmental conservation could have an unexpected ally.
For decades, human beings have been in a constant struggle to reverse the greenhouse effect and climate change. Although we have been the builders of a sick planet today, we can still contribute to stopping global warming, looking for new solutions to ensure a future in this world. Now, it seems we have discovered that the fungus can be of great help.
Fungi are storehouses of carbon emissions from fossil fuels
A few days ago a study in the scientific journal Current Biology in which it was demonstrated that the symbiosis between a fungus and the roots of a plant, term called mycorrhizaYou may be able to store up to a third of carbon emissions related to combustion of fossil origin in those areas where is mushroom network extends.
There is still so much to learn about the full suite of roles which mycorrhizal structures, anchored with mycelia, play within global systems. ????https://t.co/hDxmGSXtp3
— Fantastic Fungi (@FantasticFungi) June 8, 2023
The symbiotic relationship occurs in most locations where there are roots and fungussince in this way the latter get extract phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen from the ground to give it to the plants and these, in return, return fats and carbohydrates to friendly fungi, through photosynthesis. The study we talked about earlier ensures that the 36% of emissions from fossil combustion are trapped in the mycorrhizawhich in absolute terms would be equivalent to 13.12 gigatons.
This investigation is turning out very promising, given that despite the fact that the scientific community already knew that fungi were capable of storing carbon, the resulting amount was not known for sure. Now, according to this study, it will be necessary to begin to study the way we have to convert this factory for storing carbon emissions into a differential factor for help take care of the health of our planet. In the published article, the researchers claim what:
Our estimates, although based on the best available evidence, are imperfect and should be interpreted with caution. However, our estimates are conservative, and we have argued that this work confirms the significant contribution made by mycorrhizal associations to global carbon dynamics. Our finding should prompt their inclusion in global climate models and conservation policy.
#fungi #blame