Material Ecology is synthesizing the dynamic work of the biologist in collaboration with the ecologist, by expanding the research on the symbiotic relationship between biological material - slime mold, lichen, and mycelium - and human manifestation within the garden - Allium. While operating at the micro scale, the implications of the proposals derived from this laboratory have much extensive effects on the larger territory.
Each biological material has a unique function in the metabolic system: slime mold is a carrier, the lichen is a node, and the mycelium becomes a trap + filter mechanism. As a whole, the three of them form a distribution network in order to mitigate the microplastic concentration levels needed for the growth of Allium. Scientific research has discovered that crops of spring onion thrived in soils saturated with polyester fibers and polyamide beads due to an unexpected host-parasite relationship between the microplastic particles and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The mycelium attached itself on these particles rich in nitrogen, while, simultaneously, attached itself to the roots of the onion, augmenting its growth by exchanging nutrients.
Slime Mold Studies
The Laboratory
