LB 30-254 - Iconography illuminating the biology and ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

In the realm of communicating ecological concepts to both the scientific community and the general public, there is a specific need for evocative images and narratives that do not rely on anthropomorphism to communicate concepts relating to plant-fungi mutualisms. Here I impart multi-use iconography for both thesis illumination and civic science interpretive materials to highlight the biology and ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, obligate biotrophs that engage in mutualisms with plants, an ancient relationship that potentially enabled plants to colonize land. The name “arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi” has a metaphor imbedded within, as “arbuscula” is Latin for “tiny tree”; arbuscules within cortical root cells offer branching zones of interface where the fungi receive photosynthates and plants largely receive phosphorus. I also impart renderings that specifically relate to the ongoing research project Tritrophic Interactions with Silphium integrifolium at the Axis, which illustrate the dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi mediation of plant-insect interactions. This artwork entails the haptic process of gouache painting on paper coupled with digital intervention. In addition to a direct response to finding gaps in the literature, hypotheses and questions may generate from a space allowed by the art creation mental flow state. One might see how these hypotheses may be tested through rigorous scientific methods, with results later translated through artwork creation, and the cycle repeats. The art-ecology interface may also be explored through the creation of novel or restored ecosystems through the vision and leadership of artists/architects, radical complexity acceptance and celebration, reciprocity practice, placing the body in relation to an ecological topic and engaging the senses through the curation of immersive experiences, and generation of novel questions for scientific consideration from within the artist community. The straightforward approach to the interface seen here, visual illumination of ecological concepts, has utility for educating, but not misleading, the public about the dynamics of plant-fungi mutualisms.