The Mind of Plants by Ryan John C.;Vieria Patrícia;Gagliano Monica;McKenna Dennis;McKenna Dennis;

Author:Ryan, John C.;Vieria, Patrícia;Gagliano, Monica;McKenna, Dennis;McKenna, Dennis;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Synergetic Press
Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

LIVING IN SYMBIOSIS—LESSONS FROM WITHIN

Nowhere is symbiosis more apparent than in the relationship between humans and our own microbes. Only recently have we begun to understand that the story of symbiosis, like so many others, has been occurring on many levels—and that not all of these have been visible to us. What has been revealed at a microscopic level shows us most clearly how interconnected and interdependent we really are with the environment.

One of the most fascinating parts of this story is how species extinction is affecting us all personally. It has been a revelation to understand that the large-scale threats to biodiversity and environmental ecology are also mirrored by the loss of biodiversity and extinction of species at the microscopic level. This includes the microbes that inhabit forest niches, as well as those in our own bodies, and which are essential to our own health. “Dysbiosis” is a term that is used to describe the disruptions in the natural ecology in microbial ecosystems. It literally translates to mean “life in distress,” which applies to virtually all forms of life on our planet today.5

To understand the origins and the significance of this relationship, we must remember that life on Earth began with the simple microbes which emerged from the “primordial soup”3.5 billion years ago. These were much like the cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) that form the rock-like stromatolite structures we can still see today in Shark Bay, Western Australia, not far from where I was born—still, fortunately, one of the world’s greatest remaining biodiversity hotspots. Microbes have since formed the foundations of all life on our planet and still contribute a significant portion of the Earth’s biomass. It has been estimated that the Earth is home to upward of 1 trillion microbial species. All more complex life forms, including ourselves, co-evolved with microbes in symbiotic mutualism. Microbes are essential to the biodiversity that sustains all life. They are “everywhere” as an integral part of all ecosystems. In fact, the interactions between microbes and their hosts underpin evolutionary success throughout the biosphere. These symbiotic relationships are key to adaptability and resilience. They are actually an essential “part” of our bodies. Without microbes, we cannot survive, and neither can the forest.

We only recently came to realize that at least half of the cells in our bodies are microbes, and they contribute at least 90% of “our” genetic material—microbial genes and by-products that are metabolically active and influence many of our body systems, including our immunity, our appetite, fat and sugar metabolism, even our mood and behavior. From that perspective, we are indeed “more microbial than we are human.” It also means we are in constant “flux” with our environment. Indeed, at the microscopic level, all living creatures are home to many vast and diverse ecosystems on all of our inner and outer surfaces. And—for animals and plants alike—these microbial ecosystems are highly vulnerable to subtle changes in the wider environment.

This is significant because environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and displacement of “green” space

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