Toby Kiers Wins Tyler Prize for Mycorrhizal Research

Beneath forests, grasslands and farmlands lies a vast underground fungal system that quietly regulates Earth’s climate. These mycorrhizal networks form nutrient-trading partnerships with plant roots and draw down over 13 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Long overlooked as secondary plant helpers, they are now recognised as one of the planet’s most critical life-support systems.

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

American evolutionary biologist “Toby Kiers” has been awarded the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, often referred to as the Nobel for the environment. The award recognises her pioneering work in revealing the ecological and climatic importance of mycorrhizal fungi. Currently a University Research Chair at “Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam”, her research has transformed scientific understanding of soil ecosystems.

Underground Carbon and Global Mapping

Plants channel surplus carbon below ground, where mycorrhizal fungi store an estimated 13.12 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, roughly one-third of fossil fuel emissions. By co-developing a global Underground Atlas, Kiers and her colleagues mapped the worldwide distribution of these fungi, highlighting vast reservoirs of below-ground biodiversity. The findings provide critical data for conservation planning, especially as many fungal hotspots lie outside protected areas.

Biological Marketplace Theory

In a landmark 2011 paper published in “Science”, Kiers demonstrated that mycorrhizal fungi operate as rational traders in a “biological marketplace.” Through microscopic filaments, fungi supply phosphorus and nitrogen to plants in exchange for carbon-based sugars and fats. Experiments showed fungi actively shift nutrients from areas of abundance to scarcity to maximise carbon returns, mirroring supply-and-demand dynamics seen in human economies.

Imporatnt Facts for Exams

• Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic networks with plant roots.
• They sequester over 13 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• The Tyler Prize includes a monetary award of $250,000.
• Most fungal biodiversity hotspots lie outside protected areas.

Conservation, SPUN and Future Implications

Recent Nature papers by Kiers’ team introduced robotic imaging systems to observe fungal growth in real time and mapped global species distribution. Alarmed by conservation gaps, she co-founded the “Society for the Protection of Underground Networks” to advocate legal protection for fungi. Her work underscores that terrestrial life itself emerged through ancient plant–fungal partnerships, reframing fungi as a foundation of life on Earth rather than an invisible afterthought.