Many members of the fungus family remain obscure.
CREDIT: BR. ALFRED BROUSSEAU/ST. MARY'S COLLEGE
Ask people about the sorts of habitats harboring species unknown to science, and they're likely to point to the deep ocean or rainforests. But the biggest unknown realm could be right beneath our feet, according to United Nations researchers.
Scientists estimate that every gram of forest soil might contain as many as 40,000 types of bacteria--10 times the number of all bacteria described so far. Other estimates suggest that we have cataloged only 5% of fungi and mites, 15% of nematodes, and 50% of earthworms. We've also seen only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ants, termites, amoebae, and flagellates.
Inventorying subterranean ecosystems is the aim of a new $26 million initiative launched on 28 November. The 5-year project will zero in on the underground fauna of seven species-rich tropical countries: Brazil, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Mexico, Kenya, India, and Indonesia.
The project, backed by the U.N. Environment Programme and the Global Environment Facility, is expected to yield clues for replenishing damaged ecosystems, developing new medicines, and boosting agriculture. Michael Gundale, a forest ecologist at the University of Montana, Missoula, says the project also "will likely advance current methods for measuring microbial diversity."
