Underground Explorers

This project explores how elevation and land use shape fungal diversity across Mount Mulanje, a UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve in southern Malawi, which rises from approximately 300 m to 3,002 masll. Soils and roots will be sampled from agricultural lowlands, mid-elevation forests, and high-altitude montane ecosystems to examine how fungal communities respond to environmental gradients, climate variation, and land-use disturbance. Using DNA metabarcoding and ecological analyses, the study will identify climate-resilient and potentially endemic fungal taxa while providing insights into their contributions to soil health, nutrient cycling, and plant productivity. Mount Mulanje’s elevational gradient and unique habitats, including forests of Mulanje cedar (Widdringtonia whytei Rendle), an endemic and critically endangered national tree of Malawi, provide an ideal natural laboratory for understanding fungal diversity across contrasting ecosystems. The findings will support biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable management, while informing climate-resilient agricultural practices in Malawi and other mountain-linked agroecosystems globally.