Microbe Sharing

The rhizosphere, also known as the “plant-root interface” is the area inhabited by a unique group of microbes that are influenced by chemicals secreted by plant roots. When plants are in range, each is able to access and recruit nearby microbes from another’s microbiome. This sharing of microbes is what helps plants without drought tolerant characteristics to become drought tolerant themselves due to gene activation triggered by ‘borrowed’ microbes ingested from the surrounding plants. As environmental conditions change and these drought protection genes are no longer necessary, the plant switches these genes off again by expelling the microbe.

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.