“We humans have yet to create anything that is as complex and well designed as the interactions of the microorganisms in a cubic foot of rich soil.”

Paul Hawken, business leader and environmentalist

A Real Fun-gi

Mike Amaranthus really digs his work. As a soil scientist, he’s researching the ways fungi are important to trees and other plants. Although many of us have seen the umbrella-like tops of mushrooms and other fungi that dot the forest floor, Dr. Amaranthus gets a little dirty and looks at what’s beneath the surface.

Dr. Amaranthus studies the extensive fungal network of tiny filaments that break down dead animals and other materials into nutrients that enrich the soil and can be absorbed by plants. Some fungi even connect directly to plant roots, allowing the plants to absorb nutrients from this “fungal network.” In turn, the fungi absorb sugars and other photosynthetic products from the roots. Dr. Amaranthus and other scientists believe that most plants couldn’t survive without fungi. In fact, without the fungi providing nutrients and keeping roots from drying out, the first plants probably wouldn’t have been able to make the transition from oceans to living on the land.