Atlas français des Champignons du sol. 2024. (Hors-Collection des Publications Scientifiques du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, tome 49). 304 p.- In French.

Soils are home to extremely diverse living communities: a single handful of soil can be home to hundreds of species of fungi!

Researchers specialising in microbial ecology at the "Agroecology" joint research unit, part of INRAE Bourgogne Franche-Comté, have inventoried soil fungi using genetic sequencing techniques. This has enabled them to study the composition, organisation and distribution of mycelial networks in different types of soil, and the influence of ecological conditions and human use of the soil. They open a window onto a fascinating and little-known world.

Complementing the French atlas of soil bacteria, this book represents a step forward in our knowledge of soils and how they function. It is part of a general drive to meet the challenge of soil conservation over the coming decades.