8 Learnings from Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships happen between organisms across species’ boundaries. They have been and are vital for evolution, and they hold some crucial lessons on life for us.

Photo by Tomoe Steineck on Unsplash

The study of symbiotic relationships certainly has a momentum. This doesn’t come as a surprise, since, as microbiologist Lynn Margulis puts it, “[w]e are symbionts on a symbiotic planet, and if we care to, we can find symbiosis everywhere”. Any plant, any animal, any fungus lives in mutual relations with others. They all host a microbiome inside their bodies, usually consisting of millions of microbes which help their host reacting, digesting, thinking, and so on. But the impact of symbiotic relationships is not only turned inwards: Any living being finds itself connected to other beings outside its body. Around three quarters of all flowering plants in Middle Europe live with the so-called Mykorrhiza, a symbiotic relationship with a fungus. The fungus provides a finer network of roots (rhizome) and thus important minerals and water to the plant, whilst the plant is feeding the fungus with sugar from photosynthesis. Or, to give one more example, flowers and insects have co-evolved in strong partnership, gifting us with a nurturing ecosystem that is as beautiful as it is vulnerable, not to mention is it necessary for our own survival.

The more I read on the importance of symbiotic relationships, the less I could grasp the modern connotation of natural selection, which states that the famous “struggle for existence” is a deep act of combating one another, and that everyone fights on its own. That is simply not true. Yes, there is natural selection, but beings do not overcome survival challenges without the help of others. In fact, evolution first and foremost happened because of turning to each other to work together. Evolution can therefore be seen as a great act of cooperation across species’ boundaries.

Updating this narrative is in my eyes an important step towards understanding our place in this world. This is not an easy task. Looking at the heritage of how nature and the role of the human was/is perceived, the main concepts tend to ignore complexity and are thus misleading. The brutal survival fight against the Other got supported by hierarchical orders in scientific and biblical models of the living world, and the inherent attitude of more and less important beings was translated into socio-political behavior all too often. On the other hand, next to the brutal idea of nature, the image of a wild longing nature evolved from the romantic epoche. Simply put, romanticists appreciate nature as a vast beautiful landscape, but leave the human out of the equation.

Nevertheless, humans are participants in nature. Humans are nature. Not embedding our thoughts and actions in a bio-social context means ignoring that everything and everyone on Earth is interconnected. Ultimately, this behavior brings us close to critical tipping points of Earth systems, triggering chain reactions that destroy ecologies, and with them us humans.

In the attempt to stop this ignorance and to change the narrative of the place of the human in the natural world, here are 8 learnings I concluded from looking at symbiosis.

1. We live in reciprocity with each other, and evolve by cooperation and inter-dependencies 🤝

Lynn Margulis spans the theory of the symbiotic planet from micro- to macro level. Let’s begin with micro: Back in the time, when only single-celled bacteria (prokaryotes) inhabited Earth, 4 of them merged in a specific order to become the the first bacterium with a cell, an eukaryote. One swimming, one heat resistant, one oxygen breathing and one photosynthesizing bacterium grew together to become more complex and stronger, to extend their possibilities of living. This is a basic step of evolution, known as Serial Endosymbiosis Theory (SET), which marks the start for life as we know it to evolve. There is evidence that from the first eukaryote living in the ocean, algae evolved, and from there, life travelled to land with the help of the lichen. Lichens are per se symbiotic beings consisting of fungi and alga, and they happen to be the ancestor of all green plants on land. Of course, this is a very simplified version of the story, but it outlines that we all have the same origin, and that we evolved by cooperartively turning to each other.

The impact of life evolving stretches out to the macro level. Together with biochemist James Lovelock, Margulis argued that all life on Earth works to make habitable conditions. Using inanimate realms like the atmosphere, water and soil to exchange substances, life makes these realms their allies. The Gaia theory states that Earth can be seen as a single living organism, which needs abiotic (inanimate) spheres in order to support biotic (animate) realms. It’s an infinite circle of giving and taking, the waste from one organism makes the elixir of life for another. Living on this planet means to consider yourself in this circle of gifts and responsibilities. Everyone relies on such dependencies, we simply cannot outrun them.

Side note: We all learned that next to symbiotic relations, there are parasitic ones. The evolutionary biologist Peter W. Price studied the importance of parasites for the evolution of life, and found that parasitic relationships tend to become mutualist over time, since one benefiting organism cannot benefit at the cost of the other forever. Arguing with the force of natural selection, both organisms co-evolve towards a relationship that benefits both of them to make them more resilient and strong. This does however not mean that the living world will eventually reach an idyllic state of harmony. A mutualistic relationship between two species is usually fatal for a third species.

2. The relationships that connect us to others define our Self as much as our (bodily) boundaries do 🪢

To constitute an organism, we need both: a boundary that separates us from the outside world, and a connection to the outside world to sustain our body (and soul) with nutrients. In the study of biology, it is more common to look at an entity defined by its boundaries, e.g. a cell, an individual, a species. Symbiosis teaches us to have a closer look at the relationships instead. Whilst some symbiotic cases show a clear physical touching point between two organisms (e.g. flower and insect for pollination), others function by incorporation. Looking at the lichen for instance, it is hard to tell where the fungus ends and where the alga begins. The best example however is our own human body, which hosts a complex microbiome that is necessary to sustain our life. A human body contains more bacterial than human cells.

Considering this, we need to rethink the concept of the individual drastically. Instead of being an autonomous body, basically every larger life form depends on inner beings, who play a role in constituting an “individual” as much as the grander organism itself. Evolutionary biologist Scott F. Gilbert analyzes 6 classic definitions of animal individuality, and finds that none of them hold true when considering the work of involved bacteria. According to Gilbert, neither anatomical, nor genetic, nor developmental, nor immune, nor physiological and nor evolutionary individuality are given. The idea then is to replace the concept of the individual with the concept of an entity that takes all active beings into account: the holobiont. The holobiont does not grasp a being by its bodily boundaries, but focuses on the connections between smaller and larger organisms that eventually create the respective whole. A human and its microbiome are a holobiont, as much as a forest and its inhabitants is. This concept is not merely philosophical: Rosenberg and Zilber-Rosenberg study the influence of natural selection on the holobiont rather than the individual. They indeed find that the evolutionary role of the respective microbiome is as important as the development of the overall bigger organism — if not more important, since bacteria can change way quicker than a large organism and will be the leading force to adapt the whole holobiont to new conditions.

Thinking in relationships helps us grasp the more complex reality and how dependent we are on other beings. I’m confident that this change of perspective helps to appreciate the world more consciously and more gratefully. The connections we are nested in are eventually as unavoidable and vulnerable as they are nurturing.

3. Aim for relationships with little hierarchy ⛰

One organism has something in store that the other doesn’t have. By cooperating, skills and benefits are shared. Since both partners are different in so many aspects yet depend (more or less) on the other, they should approach each other on eye level (as we humans say). Compared to homogeneous communities, which tend to organize in more or less hierarchical structures, two different organisms wouldn’t see the need to do so. Being A benefits as much from the relationship as being B, no matter which benefit is “truly” larger. It is important to stress that this is a tendency rather than a given fact. We experience attempts in homogenous societies that reduce hierarchy, e.g. in superorganisms that consist of smaller organisms who act out different roles and jobs. The other way around, we experience symbiotic relationships that are indeed shaped by power, e.g. between humans and (domesticated) dogs. The quintessence to me is that seeing the other as someone you have to get to know first is an admirable attitude. By listening to the other and approaching them as an equal partner, the quality of your relationship might exceed all expectations, and lead to a healthy flow of giving and taking.

4. See more subjects than objects 🙋

Most of the people reading this text probably live in a city. We are surrounded by objects; bridges, shoes, coffee cups. Urban areas are designed to provide for the human being (and I dare say that even this goal is often missed). From everyday life, humans are trained to see, well, other humans and a bunch of objects. If we go on a trip to a forest, or maybe even a park will do, the available objects will get less and less; in the favor of more subjects: trees, birds, mushrooms, insects. Symbiosis teaches us to see the other part at the end of the relationship as an active subject, ready to act and react, altering the conditions for both of us. The idea of the animate world stems from indigenous peoples and was smiled at by colonialists and “modern” people. Now, we are stuck in a global crisis, a dramatic consequence of ignoring the other-than-human’s needs, their role in our own life and their ability to act. Admittedly, we could spend several lifetimes listening to all the subjects in the world and trying to learn from their ways of living (after all, most life forms have been on this planet way longer than the human has. It is selfish to think that we have to figure out all by ourselves and that only the human solution is honorable). To me, this sounds a lot more meaningful than trying to overcome planetary/ecological limitations — in order to produce more objects which by far exceed the real needs and end up as waste.

Side note: Anthropologist and sociologist Bruno Latour argues that even objects are somewhat reactive to us humans. By providing design and deep meaning which shape human society and behaviour, objects need to be seen as actants.

5. Appreciate diversity as an ongoing process of unity 🐛

As already stated above, all life forms on Earth lead back to the same origin. It is there where we are all connected. (Bio-) Diversity stems from unity and equality. Over time, life took different routes and diversified into millions of different forms and species. This separation process should be an inspiring one (the only way to actually hold the circle of giving and taking), one that adds real value, rather than projecting a hostile image onto the otherness. Diversity is not a threat, it means potential to any life form. Potential to complement yourself and to admire a totally different skill set.

Side note: Our microbial ancestors used to enter temporal relationships with other bacteria (or replicons) to overcome challenges and to find new ways of living. A steady flow of welcoming and letting go again ensured that the world appeared as a global gene pool, making everyone else a potential collaborator. Diversity first existed to help each other out. The emergence of the celled eukaryote made this openness towards others less necessary, as the organism became more self-sufficient. Very complex beings such as humans cannot be the pinnacle of evolution from this point of view, as they cannot reach out to others that easily and thus struggle to survive in changed conditions. Let’s not forget though that this doesn’t mean that they are autonomous loners: I have already argued that large organisms (like humans) are nested ecosystems themselves, dependent on their holobiont partners.

6. Your body is a communicator 🧚

Whilst humans have developed very complex and fascinating word based languages to express themselves, other species haven’t (for what we know). But communication doesn’t need words. Especially not, if the receiver of your message is a member of another species, like in a symbiotic relationship. There is not really a blueprint for successful interspecies communication, since every connection is unique. To interact, the lowest common denominator is exactly what you are present with: your body. And with it, your movements, your behavior, your gestures and facial expressions. On that level, you probably can connect to your dog or cat, and there is a bunch of examples on how plants and animals develop very particular means of communication by adapting the other’s way of perceiving the world (e.g. more or less color, more or less scent, ultrasonic reflection, and so on). A communication process on such a basic level presupposes that two communicators need to step into each other’s shoes to perceive the world from their perspective. To me, this seems like a very helpful condition to start a conversation with — not only for communicating with critters from the non-human-world, but also in plain human interaction. And we can learn another thing: Even if we humans mostly communicate to one another by using words in spoken or written language, we cannot deny that the bodily expression plays a vital role in giving and sensing meaning. This learning might help you to be aware of the myriad signals you are sending out to others and of sensing other’s signals more consciously.

7. Cooperation is key to innovation 🔑

Symbiotic, cooperative connections play a fundamental role in evolution. Whenever life on Earth was approaching an existential crisis (e.g. because of rapid rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, or ice ages, etc.), we can see jumps of creative development, whilst life was stable, when the overall conditions were, too (punctuated equilibrium theory). Margulis explains such a rapid development with symbiotic forces: beings turning to one another to accumulate their strength and finding a new way to live in a changed environment (I have outlined this inspiring phenomenon in this shorter article). Evolutionary biologists therefore coined the term symbiogenesis, which refers to “the origin of new tissues, organs, organisms — even species — by the establishment of longterm or permanent symbiosis.” (Margulis) In some symbiotic cases, the most interesting point might not even be the new being that emerges from the mutual relationship of two former separate beings, but the new possibilities this creature faces. The lichen for instance is more robust than the fungus or alga alone could be, which is why it can live in extreme habitats like on concrete or even on glass surfaces. The learning here is that welcoming others to cooperate with you opens new opportunities on many levels, which might give you the critical advantage and on top a good feeling of being in this together.

8. A step back can be a step forward 🪃

When beings turned to each other to cooperate in times of crisis, the simpler and more robust forms of life were in great advantage. They can easily connect to beings with other specialities, and are overall more resilient in many different habitats. The human being evolved into almost perfect speciality within the last surprisingly long stable phase of evolution. This luck might just be reversing, as we enter the era of serious man caused climate change. In a crisis like this, all simpler forms of life who manage to reach out to others have better chances of survival. I guess that it’s pretty much impossible to change our complex biological bodies in favor of more simplicity (or maybe it isn’t, biomedicine scientists?), but the real learning to me is more abstract: Development doesn’t follow a linear progress towards perfection, but rather succeeds in appropriate adaptation to the circumstances. In the long run, a step back can pay off for an overall development towards maturity. Fingers crossed that we’ll be alive for another long period to heed this learning.

We are nature, and we need to fight together

To conclude this article, I want to emphasize again that the human is not standing outside of ecology, watching everything burn while searching for a technological solution to save humanity (be it by peopling another planet which we can then destroy, by grasping the human identity in mere data which floats through the universe, or whatever posthumanist ideologies there are). Human beings are nature, and so are all our outcomes. Even buildings, streets, and cities. They constitute the current human nature. So-called untouched wild areas are shrinking at an enormous pace (only 23% of land surface can be classified as wilderness), while cities and agricultural areas are growing. “Nature” does not only refer to the remaining 23%, but to the whole abundance happening on this planet. What we create and do has consequences for the whole. It is our responsibility to act responsibly. Not by stepping into an enemy-based, but a collaborator-based fight mode.

Sources and recommended literature:

• Lynn Margulis, Symbiotic Planet
• Peter W. Price, The Web of Life: Development over 3.8 Billion Years of Trophic Relationships. (In Symbiosis as a source of evolutionary innovation: speciation and morphogenesis)
• Scott F. Gilbert, Holobiont By Birth: Multilineage Individuals As The Concretion Of Cooperative Processes (In Arts of living on a damaged planet)
• Bruno Latour, Reassembling the Social. An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory
• Bruno Latour, Das terrestrische Manifest
• Niles Eldridge & Stephen Jay Gould, Punctuated Equilibrium
• James Lovelock, Gaia
• Timothy Morton, Humankind –Solidarity with Non-Human People
• Timothy Morton, Ecology without Nature
• Josef Reichholf & Johann Brandstetter, Symbiosen
• Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

This is a summarized part of my master thesis on symbiotic relationships and indigenous ontologies. If you have feedback or want to read the whole thesis (in German), comment or dm me.