The alpine zone on Scottish mountain summits includes some of our most important natural and undisturbed habitats, but these are being impacted by climate change and other factors such as air pollution. Alpine ecosystems are an important reservoir of unique biodiversity, and we know from other ecosystems that around 60% of this biodiversity is to be found living in soil. The myriad of organisms, both large and small, which live in soil are crucial for the functioning of habitats and influence important processes such as carbon storage and provision of clean water. In the alpine zone soil biodiversity has hardly been explored, we know virtually nothing about the species living in these soils and potentially we could lose them before we even know that they are there.
The Mountain heights, Hidden depths project aimed to radically change this situation by using DNA sequencing to detect and identify organisms in soil samples collected from the summits of the 282 Munros (3,000 ft summits) across Scotland. The aim was to develop a picture of how soil biodiversity varies across Scotland’s alpine zone, to identify areas of high soil biodiversity, and to create a baseline against which to measure future change. To meet this mountainous challenge, we reached out to the hill-going community, asking hillwalkers to become expedition scientists for the day and to gather small soil samples while out walking. DNA was subsequently extracted from the samples and sequenced to identify the organisms present and this enabled us to build a first ever 'map' of soil biodiversity across Scotland's alpine zone.
Mountain Heights, Hidden Depths built on a pilot study in 2021 where volunteers collected samples from 55 Munros in the Cairngorms National Park and we investigated the alpine fungi they contained. We discovered 2,748 species of fungi including new and undescribed species. For the current project we extended our ambitions to covering the whole of Scotland and investigating a much wider range of soil organisms. We asked hillwalkers and mountaineers to volunteer as citizen scientists and to collect three small soil samples from a Munro of their choice. During 2023 and 2024 our amazing team of volunteer Citizen Scientists were busy summiting Munros and collecting soil samples the length and breadth of Scotland. Despite the challenges of the typically Scottish weather, mud and midges they visited 200 Munros which, combined with samples from the pilot study, resulted in a total of 765 samples from across 255 Munros – an incredible achievement! The infographic on the left summarizes the achievements of the Mountain Heights, Hidden Depths project.
With the samples safely sent to project HQ at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, the baton then passed to the project’s scientific team to process the mountain of samples (pun intended) so that we could discover more about the soil life underneath our walking boots. Head to the results page for more details on the discoveries generated by this ground breaking project.
How volunteers got involved
Each Munro was available on this website to be adopted by a volunteer, who was then sent a Munro-specific sampling kit containing instructions and guidance on where and how to collect the soil samples and a reply-paid envelope to return the samples for sequencing.
In order to adopt a Munro, volunteers were first required to register on the project. During registration volunteers were asked to carefully read and acknowledge the participant information sheet, particularly the sections about health and safety and on our use of any personal data, and agree to the terms of participation.
The project launched in June 2023. The initial interest in the project was so great that after only 10 days post-launch we had to close registration to avoid disappointment. All of the available Munros were rapidly adopted and 483 volunteers signed up to contribute to the project.
The project team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone to signed up to contribute to the project - none of this would have been possible without you!
Who funds this project?
The project is funded by the Scottish Government Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) as part of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Strategic Research Programme, project JHI-D4-3 Scotland’s biodiversity: People, Data and Monitoring.
Who is involved?
The project is led by Dr Andrea Britton and Dr Andy Taylor.