How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes.

Mycorrhizal fungi are ecosystem engineers that sustain plant life and help regulate Earth's biogeochemical cycles^1-3. However, in contrast to plants and animals, the global distribution of mycorrhizal fungal biodiversity is largely unknown, which limits our ability to monitor and protect key underground ecosystems^4,5. Here we trained machine-learning algorithms on a global dataset of 25,000 geolocated soil samples comprising >2.8 billion fungal DNA sequences. We predicted arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungal richness and rarity across terrestrial ecosystems. On the basis of these predictions, we generated high-resolution, global-scale maps and identified key reservoirs of highly diverse and endemic mycorrhizal communities. Intersecting protected areas with mycorrhizal hotspots indicated that less than 10% of predicted mycorrhizal richness hotspots currently exist in protected areas. Our results describe a largely hidden component of Earth's underground ecosystems and can help identify conservation priorities, set monitoring benchmarks and create specific restoration plans and land-management strategies.

Mycotaxon is pleased to announce the posting of a new species distribution list to our web-list page covering the fungi of Homilsha Forests National Park in Ukraine (by Prylutskyi, Akulov, Leontyev, Ordynets, Yatsiuk, Usichenko & Savchenko). This brings to 125 the number of free access mycobiotas now available on the Mycotaxon website: http://www.mycotaxon.com/resources/weblists.html

We assessed the diversity and composition of fungal communities in different functional tissues and the rhizosphere soil of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies stands along the latitudinal gradient of these tree species distributions in Europe to model possible changes in fungal communities imposed by climate change. For each tree species, living needles, shoots, roots, and the rhizosphere soil were sampled and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the latitude and the host tree species had a limited effect on the diversity and composition of fungal communities, which were largely explained by the environmental variables of each site and the substrate they colonize. The mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation had a strong effect on root fungal communities, isothermality on needle fungal communities, mean temperature of the warmest quarter and precipitation of the driest month on shoot fungal communities, and precipitation seasonality on soil fungal communities. Fungal communities of both tree species are predicted to shift to habitats with a lower annual temperature amplitude and with increasing precipitation during the driest month, but the suitability of these habitats as compared to the present conditions is predicted to decrease in the future.

The dataset includes georeferenced occurrences of species listed in Annex I of Resolution 6 of the Bern Convention and, partly, in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. The dataset was compiled within the work of NGO "Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group" aimed to prepare a Shadow list of Emerald Network (European network Areas of Special Conservation Interest) in Ukraine - newly proposed territories aimed at conservation of particular species and habitats mentioned in Resolution 4 and 6 of the Bern Convention. The list was prepared in 2017-2020 for expanding the already existing Emerald Network of Ukraine. Based on actual registrations of flora and fauna collected and gathered by scientists and naturalists in a form of dataset, which is described in the following paper. This dataset provides information about 29,938 occurrences of species from the territory of Ukraine listed in Annex I of Resolution 6 of the Bern Convention, as well as in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. This is the largest public dataset on occurrences of rare and endangered species from Ukraine till now. Data presented here laid the foundations for the proposal of 106 approved Emerald Network sites (2019), as well as for 148 Emerald Network sites that were nominated in 2020. New insights on the endemic species Centaurea pseudoleucolepis Kleopow is provided, which was previously considered to be extinct, according to the IUCN Red List.

On June 6, 2023, the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was detonated, causing an environmental catastrophe in the Northern Black Sea region. Despite the severe environmental and socio-economic repercussions, the disaster offered a unique opportunity to study vegetation development in the long-flooded area. We visited the area twice, three weeks and 3.5 months after the incident. Our studies found that the number of vascular plants in the area increased nearly seven times from June to October, contradicting initial pessimistic predictions of desertification. Both short-lived and perennial plants were almost equally represented, with many spread by the wind. Moreover, the low prevalence of alien species challenges hypotheses of neophyte overgrowth. We delineated four types of newly formed terrestrial habitats, including willow thickets and marshy habitats, as well as mud and shell-covered areas with sparse vegetation. Remote sensing methods, augmented by machine learning techniques, complemented these findings, providing a detailed habitat map for the entire reservoir bed. Our observations suggest the potential restoration of pre-reservoir vegetation, and may serve as a foundation for ongoing monitoring efforts. This study contributes to the understanding of ecological succession and habitat dynamics in post-catastrophic landscapes, informing future management strategies for such territories.