Thinking through mycorrhizae: Philosophical debates at the lab bench
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.26.36.3.0.2689Keywords:
philosophy of biology, biological individual, negative results, holobiont, symbiosisAbstract
1. A common approach for studying soil fungi involves in vitro isolation and culture. However, these attempts frequently fail when dealing with ectomycorrhiza-forming fungi (EMFF). Successive failed attempts have revealed an epistemological and ontological window that exposes the limitations of scientific practices based on the separation and the abstraction of living organisms.
2. This study proposes an interdisciplinary analysis of the assumptions guiding our scientific practices. A historiographical and philosophical review of frequently used concepts of the individuals and symbiosis was conducted and contrasted with the laboratory experiences of the authors and other researchers in the field, gathered through a survey.
3. The review revealed that the issues surrounding the definition of the individual are not new and that the organisms participating in the symbiosis could be considered an indivisible whole (holobiont).
4. Responses from specialists in the field suggest that the difficulty of isolating EMFF is persistent and may stem not only from technical issues, but also from the relational nature of the symbiosis.
5. Implications. Experimental difficulties hold epistemological value that extends beyond the technical problem. This prompts us to re-examine the application of certain methodologies when dealing with highly interdependent organisms, as well as to consider them from a relational perspective. Thus, we propose recognizing interdisciplinary discussions as a guide for new scientific and epistemological practices, as they open new horizons for inquiry and could hold the key to new ways of studying living systems.
NOTE: the image on the left was extracted from Illustrations of British Fungi. Cook M. C., circa 1881.
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