Holobionts

Holobiont Theory reframes individual organisms as a community or “holobiont”, which consists of a host and its associated communities of microorganisms. While holobionts are centred around a larger multicellular eukaryote, the term has been used to emphasise the increasing scientific evidence that supports the theory that the health and development of the macro-organism is influenced heavily or even fully integrated with the health of the microorganisms it hosts. There are many examples of holobionts that align with this current definition, mainly plant and animal holobionts, including fish, coral and human beings; the latter, taken as an atomic individual, contains roughly 20,000 genes. However, through a holonic lens, the human hologenome actually contains more than 33 million genes, most of which are contributed by the microbiota found on the skin, gut and other areas of microbe colonization. In this way, a holobiont is an organism that is collectively-producing, existing and growing as a result of many complex interactions with other living organisms and the combined gene expression of host and microbial genes.

Related Notes: The Mutualism Advantage, Microbe Sharing, Networked Care, Observable Parts, Diversity Threshold

The following set of ecological principles serve to guide the design and implementation of the Mycelium Fund. This experimental granting fund explores the possibilities of a self-distributing financing system and is informed by mechanisms of resource valuation and distribution found in ecological communities, particularly those deep beneath the ground.