Fungi collections rarely generate headlines. Yet the survival of a modest facility at the University of Kansas carries implications for global agriculture, ecological restoration, and scientific understanding of plant-fungi relationships that have evolved over millions of years. The International Collection of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, known as INVAM, maintains 900 living isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: microorganisms that form obligate symbiotic relationships with plant roots. These fungi cannot survive without plants, which supply them with carbon and sugars. In exchange, the fungi extend the effective root system, improving nutrient and water uptake.

Unlike yeast or mushroom-producing species, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi cannot be stored indefinitely. Each isolate requires cultivation at least once annually, sometimes twice, on living host plants. The operation runs 365 days per year in greenhouses equipped with backup electrical systems. Without continuous labor-intensive maintenance, the cultures perish permanently. Associate researcher Terra Lubin dedicates 15-25 hours weekly to collection management alongside her research duties. Distinguished professor Jim Bever and associate specialist Peggy Schultz lead the curation effort, which they relocated from Florida to Kansas in 2023 using National Science Foundation funding. Current political tensions surrounding National Science Foundation budgets compound inherent funding uncertainty. Proposed cuts exceeding $300 million threaten research infrastructure nationwide. Bever noted the system that built America’s research capacity now faces unclear federal support.

Bever stated plainly that no replacement exists for INVAM. Its loss would constitute a tragedy for science and possibilities for a more sustainable world. Whether public fundraising can substitute for institutional research support remains an open question: one with consequences extending far beyond Kansas.

For information on how you can help, visit www.mycostories.com