Mutualism

Far from being rare or exceptional, mutualistic relationships really are everywhere. Plants could not survive without fungal partners. Animals cannot function without microbial ones. As Lynn Margulis famously and regularly complex life did not arise solely through struggle, but through symbiosis: through mergers, alliances, and long negotiations between once-independent beings.

Mutualism, however, extends well beyond biological physiology. Human societies depend on dense networks of reciprocal exchange: caregiving, shared knowledge, infrastructure, art, food systems, and emotional labor to name a few forms. Communities persist through cooperation.

This week, we’ll spend some time with the relationship of mutualism: its benefits, its challenges, and all the places we do or don’t see it.