Fungi in soil can be mycorrhizal (exchanging nutrients and water for carbon with plants), parasites and pathogens (stealing from and killing living organisms), and saprotrophs (decomposing dead organic matter). These roles, however, are dynamic with many fungi transitioning among them. To date we know only a small fraction of fungal diversity, but resources are rapidly growing providing new insight into functional ecology and evolution of fungi in the world around us. Here, I review gaps and overlaps in existing databases that provide insight into soil fungal functional ecology and provide a roadmap moving forward, drawing from insights gained from plants.
