As an alternative to more established theories of global warming relating to levels of atmospheric carbon, a new research area considers that carbon levels in the atmosphere are most affected by the composition of the soil.
Soil contains more carbon than air and plants combined. This would suggest that even a minor change in soil carbon could have major implications for the Earth's atmosphere and climate.
New research suggests that it is fungi that have a major influence on the carbon levels in soil and eventually the carbon levels in the atmosphere. By examining patterns of symbiotic fungi, researchers have shown that higher levels of fungi can lead to 70 percent more carbon in the soil. The role of these fungi is currently not typically considered in global climate models....
