Soil biodiversity remains one of the largest blind spots in global conservation
spun authors
summary
Most of Earth’s biodiversity lives underground, but only a tiny fraction of soil species have been assessed for extinction risk. The study calls for urgent global efforts to map, monitor, and conserve soil biodiversity before invisible extinctions occur.
Most life on Earth actually lives in the soil, including fungi, insects, mites, worms, and countless microscopic organisms that help ecosystems function. These underground communities regulate nutrients, store carbon, support plant growth, and keep soils healthy. Yet scientists still know very little about how many of these species are threatened with extinction.
This study reviewed the IUCN Red List and found that only a tiny fraction of soil organisms have ever been assessed for extinction risk. Among the 8,653 soil-dependent species currently listed, many are threatened or too poorly studied to evaluate properly. The researchers warn that habitat destruction, agriculture, climate change, and pollution may be driving losses of underground biodiversity that largely go unnoticed.
The authors call for a major global effort to study and protect soil life, arguing that conserving ecosystems aboveground is impossible without also protecting the biodiversity hidden beneath our feet.
Soils contain an enormous share of Earth’s biodiversity and support essential ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, climate regulation, decomposition, and food production. Yet despite their importance, most soil organisms — especially fungi and invertebrates — remain poorly studied from a conservation perspective. The authors argue that global biodiversity efforts have historically focused on visible plants and animals, leaving soil-dependent species largely absent from extinction risk assessments.
The study aimed to:
- Develop a working definition of soil-dependent species for use in the IUCN Red List.
- Determine how many soil-dependent species have already been assessed for extinction risk.
- Identify major gaps and challenges in assessing soil biodiversity.
- Provide recommendations to improve conservation assessments for soil organisms worldwide.
The study identified 8,653 soil-dependent species currently listed on the IUCN Red List. Of these:
- 20.3% were classified as globally threatened,
- 19.9% were Data Deficient, meaning there is not enough information to assess their risk, and
- only a tiny fraction of the world’s estimated fungal and soil invertebrate diversity has actually been evaluated.
The main threats affecting soil-dependent species included:
- Agriculture,
- Urban development,
- Logging,
- Invasive species,
- Climate change, and
- Fire disturbances.
The authors also highlighted major scientific challenges:
- Most soil organisms are still undescribed,
- There are too few taxonomic experts,
- Microbial species are difficult to classify and monitor, and
- Existing conservation frameworks were not designed for microscopic life.
