Unlocking the Potential of Fungal Biodiversity Across Natural and Managed Ecosystems

Fungal biodiversity stands at the forefront of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem research, shaping the structure, function, and resilience of environments worldwide. Fungi act as decomposers, mutualists, pathogens, and symbionts, critically regulating nutrient cycling, plant productivity, and a wide array of biotic interactions. They influence soil formation, climate moderation, and support ecosystem services that underpin food security and environmental health. However, despite acknowledgment of their foundational roles, global fungal diversity is grossly underestimated—many evolutionary lineages and ecological functions remain uncharacterized. Groundbreaking advancements in molecular biology, genomics, environmental DNA analysis, remote sensing, and microbiome sciences are rapidly expanding discovery, unveiling the complexity and biotechnological promise of fungi in ways that challenge traditional knowledge and highlight new research gaps.

This Research Topic aims to build upon these emerging insights by fostering interdisciplinary studies that advance our understanding of fungal diversity, ecological roles, evolutionary trajectories, and multifaceted interactions with plants, insects, microbes, and other fungi. The objective is to deepen knowledge of how fungi shape and respond to environmental pressures, and to explore their integration into innovative solutions for agriculture, forestry, biotechnology, and ecological sustainability. Central questions include how fungal traits underpin ecosystem services, how fungi adapt to global changes, and how this diversity can be harnessed for sustainable development and restoration practices.

This Research Topic encompasses a broad exploration of fungal roles across natural, agricultural, forestry, and urban systems, while focusing on both fundamental and applied perspectives. We welcome multidisciplinary and integrative research, while excluding topics unrelated to fungal biology and ecology, or those not sufficiently addressing their functional roles.

To gather further insights into the scope of functional and applied fungal biodiversity, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
o Diversity, taxonomy, systematics, and phylogenomics of fungi
o Fungal ecology in various ecosystems, including natural, agricultural, forestry, and urban settings
o Plant–fungus, insect–fungus, and microbe–fungus interactions
o Mycorrhizal, endophytic, pathogenic, and other symbiotic relationships
o Functional traits, ecosystem services, and contributions to soil health, nutrient cycling, and restoration
o Environmental adaptation, stress tolerance, and physiological mechanisms
o Secondary metabolites, chemical ecology, and underlying molecular pathways
o Application of fungi in biological control and sustainable management
o Biotechnological and industrial uses, including enzymes, metabolites, fermentation, and biomaterials
o Methodological advances for fungal detection, culturing, monitoring, and characterization

Appendix:
This Research Topic accepts the following article types: Brief Research Report, Case Report, Classification, Data Report, Editorial, FAIR² Data, General Commentary, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Review, Systematic Review, Technology and Code.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Fungal biodiversity, Fungal ecology, Plant–fungus interactions, Fungal systematics, Environmental adaptation, Biological control, Fungal biotechnology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.