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Bag a Munro – and a soil sample – in the name of science

Andrea Britton an ecologist at The James Hutton Institute asks hillwalkers to help with important research.

Everyone who enjoys Scotland’s Munros already knows that our spectacular mountain landscapes are home to some amazing wildlife: from majestic Golden Eagles and enigmatic Mountain Hares through to the multi-coloured carpets of lichen and moss that thrive in what – to us as least – appear to be sometimes hostile habitats.

Alpine plantlife in Scotland (Photo: Andrea Britton)

But how much do we actually know about the life beneath our walking boots as we bag our next Munro? It’s a question that we ecologists at The James Hutton Institute have been asking, and we’re now recruiting hillwalkers to help us find the answers.

We’re working to unearth Scotland’s hidden mountain soil biodiversity, to explore what’s there and to better understand how climate change could impact our vital soil ecosystems. We want to do that by collecting soil samples from the tops of Scotland’s Munros – mountains with summits at 3,000 ft or above – with your help.

Beinn Mheadhoin in the Cairngorms (Photo: Andrea Britton)

Natures’ foundations

You might not realise it, but soils are among the most biodiverse habitats on earth, home to an amazing array of life including bacteria, fungi, nematodes, worms, mites, springtails and more. These organisms are vital to the functioning of all healthy ecosystems: they decompose organic matter, recycle nutrients, support plant growth and control the storage of carbon in the soil. They are natures’ foundations and we are hugely reliant on them.

But the biodiversity of our mountain soils is still virtually unknown. It is important that we learn more about it. We need to understand what is there because any changes in that biodiversity could have profound impacts on species higher up the food chain and on the benefits such as clean water and carbon storage that we all receive from mountain soils.

Hidden treasures – some already found

We have already had a glimpse of what lies unearthed across Scotland’s Munros. In 2021, we collaborated with the plant and fungal conservation charity PlantLife to uncover the fungal species living in the soil of the Cairngorm mountains.

Just like we are now, we asked hillwalkers to become citizen scientists and to gather soil samples during their Munro bagging trips.

Sampling on Carn of Claise in the Cairngorms (Photo: Gaelle Hogrel)

Over just three months, volunteer hillwalkers collected 219 soil samples from 55 of the 58 Munros in the Cairngorms National Park. We then extracted and sequenced DNA from the samples, resulting in an incredible 17,462 records of 2,748 fungal species.

To put this number in context, it took 173 years, between 1850 and the present day, for the National Biodiversity Network Atlas of Scotland to collect 123,600 records of 3,781 species of fungi in the Cairngorms National Park.

Among the species found, two – Amanita groenlandica and Acrodontium antarcticum – had not previously been found in the UK. Amanita groenlandica is an arctic species originally described from Greenland and circumpolar in its distribution, with Scandinavia its previously recorded most southerly location. Acrodontium antarcticum is a fungus originally described from Antarctica.

Our citizen scientists had found fungi that came from opposite poles and had not previously been found together. We also found a “Strangler” fungus (Squamanita contortipes), which takes its name from its ability to take over other fungi, and the vibrant and colourful Violet Coral fungus (Clavaria zollingeri), one of the UK’s rarest grassland fungi.

The rewards for hillwalkers

Many volunteers undertook our science challenge in groups. One of those was a group from Dundee Mountaineering Club (DMC). Gaëlle Hogrel, one of its members, jumped at the opportunity.

Gaelle Hogrel sampling on Carn of Claise in the Cairngorms (Photo: Gaelle Hogrel)

“I was quite intrigued and excited by the idea of giving a scientific purpose to my hike in the Scottish mountains,” she told us. “I thought it could be a good way to learn more about flora (and fungi) while helping the scientific community. Besides, I really enjoyed the idea of being temporarily an ‘outdoor scientist on expedition’, going out to discover new things.”

A team of six from DMC decided to tackle Cairn of Claise (1,046 m), east of the Cairnwell Pass, in July 2021. “I just had to select a Munro from the list and then I received everything needed and guidelines to collect the samples,” says Gaëlle told us. “We were really lucky with the weather and it was also a good exercise of navigation as we had to collect samples at specific GPS coordinates. That made it like a scavenger hunt where the treasure was several teaspoons of soil containing maybe still undescribed species! Since then, I pay more attention during my hikes of the fungi, fauna and flora around and still wonder what could hide under my feet and how my hike would have an impact on it.”

Fellow walker Andrew Brooks said it gave a new focus to the walk. “It got us all thinking about what’s under our feet, how important it is and how little we know about it,” he says. “And it was great to know that we’re also able to help someone else with their research.”

Some volunteers just picked off one Munro for us on a family day out, while others gathered several samples while on multi-day trips wild camping or staying in bothies, or even on a hill run.

Now for the whole of Scotland

This summer and next, our ambitions are much bigger. We’re rolling out the project across the whole of Scotland – and including all soil biodiversity. Using the DNA we find in the soil, we will detect organisms across the tree of life, from bacteria and archaea, through fungi and small single-celled animals up to the “big things” like mites, collembola, worms and insect larvae.

This will allow us to develop a map of Scotland’s alpine soil life, identify biodiversity hotspots and better understand how climate change could influence this hidden world beneath our hiking boots.

Our aim is to get samples from 270 of the 282 Munros, since some, like the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Isle of Skye, lack suitable soil sampling areas. With 55 already done in the Cairngorms, that leaves 215 for keen hillwalkers to bag in the name of science.

How to get involved

If you would like to get involved, visit the project website where you will find a map showing which Munros have been sampled, which have been adopted and which are still available. You can then sign up on the website to participate and “adopt” a Munro, and we will then send you a soil sampling kit and instructions, with detailed information on where and how to collect samples. There will also be a reply-paid return envelope to send the samples back to us.

All you need for soil sampling (Photo: Andrea Britton)

Everyone knows that some of our Munros are more accessible than others, so while some are family friendly, others are more of a challenge. We hope there will be something for everyone.

Ultimately, it’s a great opportunity to do something positive for the wild places that we all love and to add an extra dimension to your exploration of Scotland’s wild mountain landscapes.

Get involved and visit www.hutton.ac.uk/MunroSoils.

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You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is every walker's responsibility to check it and to navigate safely.