Underground Explorers

As a Caribbean island, Martinique is one of 36 global biodiversity hotspots. Its biodiversity is recognized as one of the richest and most endangered on the planet. The northern end of the island catches most of the rainfall and is heavily forested, the terrain is mostly mountainous due to volcanic origin. The southern part is drier and dominated by savanna-like bushland, but also mangrove ecosystems that support a vast array of marine and terrestrial species. Banana and sugar cane farming are the main agricultural activities, but people depend mostly on subsistence crops cultivated in permaculture, in remote places, which makes them particularly dependent on soil health and biodiversity.As an island isolated from the continent, Martinique has an endemism rate above 10%. However, it is not far enough from the continent not to be subject to species exchanges. The fungal diversity in the soil or on epiphyte roots is probably following the same pattern with some endemism, but also similar species as found in Central and South America. We also expect a large diversity of fungi according to the very diverse ecosystems found is the island.