Free-living fungi in the Anthropocene and impacts on public health, food security, and biodiversity.

Extreme environmental changes in the Anthropocene are significantly disrupting soil fungi, threatening ecosystem functions and impacting public health, food security, and biodiversity.

• Why it matters: Understanding how global environmental shifts affect fungi is crucial because these microorganisms play vital roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting human societies, yet knowledge gaps remain.
• What they did: The review synthesizes two decades of research on the effects of climate change and other drivers on fungi at multiple biological levels in various ecosystems, highlighting societal impacts.
• The result: Findings reveal that global change alters fungal communities, which can undermine ecosystem services and pose risks to health and food systems, guiding future research priorities and policy actions.