What will become of forests without fungi: the impacts of climate change on the soil

Forests are complex ecosystems, essential for life on the planet and rich in biodiversity. In fact, they not only provide oxygen to all living beings, but are also habitats teeming with life, in which many different living beings coexist and collaborate.

However, forests are also among the first ecosystems to suffer the effects of human intervention in nature and, above all, the consequences of climate change. In addition to the most obvious damage, there is the harm caused to some of the microorganisms present in the soil, which play a fundamental role in the survival of ecosystems and whose balance is extremely at risk due to global warming: fungi.

1. How climate change is damaging forests
2. The role of fungi in the soil within forest ecosystems
3. What happens to fungal organisms

How climate change is damaging forests

The first effects of climate change on forests that we notice undoubtedly concern extreme events. Fires, above all, but also floods and storms, which destroy all life in their path, alter the soil, uproot trees, and drive animals away from the places they have always inhabited. However, these are exceptional events, which are becoming more frequent, it is true, but they do not affect everyday life. Changing average temperatures, on the other hand, and the persistent drought, are factors we pay less attention to, but they damage the forests of our Planet more and more every day.

In particular, many studies have shown that one of the consequences of drought is a reduction or slowdown of photosynthesis. This phenomenon not only reduces life and biodiversity within forests, but also further aggravates global warming, because slower photosynthesis means a smaller amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.

The role of fungi in the soil within forest ecosystems

When we hear the term forest, the image that comes to mind commonly contains many plants that hide birds and other animals, perhaps insects, but we rarely think of other living beings. In reality, forests are ecosystems rich in biodiversity, most of which is not found on the surface, but inside the soil.

Soil is one of the richest components of our planet, as it not only hosts the mammals that commonly inhabit it and that we automatically think of first, but also many other microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi that make the ecosystem even richer and prove essential for its balance.

It is essential to talk about the importance of the role of fungi. For example, they are responsible for communication between roots, making all the plants that inhabit a forest, in some way, connected to each other and able to warn other plants of imminent dangers. Furthermore, they greatly enrich the soil with the substances they release, effectively nourishing the plants. They give minerals and water molecules to the plants, contributing to the survival of the entire ecosystem. Without the balance between plants and fungi, forests could not survive. Yet, this is precisely what we are facing.

What happens to fungal organisms

The roots of many trees and plants work in close contact with certain fungi that inhabit the soil. These are able to help the roots store the moisture present below the surface and, therefore, allow plants to feed and contribute to the well-being of the entire forest ecosystem. However, in arid soils and drought conditions, fungi can no longer perform these functions. Furthermore, the absence of water also creates opportunities for the development of pathogens that attack plants and find them more vulnerable. Climate change, therefore, revolutionizes the balance between the microorganisms that inhabit the soil, endangering the very survival of large forest ecosystems.

Studying the interactions between fungi and plants is essential to understanding how to intervene to save forests. Identifying the trees that grow the fastest and the organisms that stimulate their growth can contribute to the well-being of the forest and the Earth itself.

What becomes clear from this analysis of how forests work is that the balance of every ecosystem is extremely precious and that even the smallest and most invisible organisms actively participate in it. Changing even a small variable in the equation can cause enormous damage, and what is happening to forests is proof of this. Reducing the impact of climate change and protecting ecosystem balances is an imperative for every citizen of the planet and, in their own small way, everyone should find a way to reduce their environmental impact and contribute to the protection of forests.