TRENOS SiGINT: An Underground Network - The Internet Beneath Our Feet

Signal

Scientists have completed the first global map of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, revealing a vast underground network of massive biological proportions functioning much like a natural internet for plants. Collectively, these fungal threads stretch an estimated 110 quadrillion kilometres beneath Earth's surface.

Human Factor

Human civilisation depends on the internet to move information. Plant life depends on fungal networks to move nutrients, water and carbon. One supports the digital economy; the other supports much of the living economy.

TRENOS Metrics Snapshot

Metric	Assessment
Network Scale	Planetary
Food System Dependency	Extremely High
Ecological Importance	Foundational
Public Awareness	Low
Agricultural Opportunity	Growing

Long Play - An Underground Network - The Internet Beneath Our Feet

For decades, agricultural productivity has been measured largely through machinery, fertiliser and genetics. This research points to another form of infrastructure operating beneath every field.

Like fibre optic internet cables linking computers, fungal hyphae link plant roots into local biological networks exchanging resources across entire ecosystems. The densest networks occur in natural grasslands, savannas and forests, while intensive agricultural systems often show reduced fungal abundance.

As pressure grows to improve soil health, reduce fertiliser dependence and increase resilience to drought, these underground biological networks may become recognised as critical agricultural infrastructure rather than simply a component of soil ecology.

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