Mycorrhizae by Jillian Sico

Mycorrhizae explores connectivity and loss from a personal and ecological perspective through an examination of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae are underground, necessary symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots that facilitate nutrient and information exchange among and between plant species. Robust mycorrhizal systems are a marker of the health of an established forest ecosystem and play a key role in soil carbon storage.Throughout the course of this project, personal reflections on love and loss became intertwined with research about mycorrhizae and the history of my research site, the Cohutta Wilderness in the mountains of North Georgia. North Georgia was logged extensively from the 1880s through the 1950s, leaving only 2% of its original old-growth forest. In October 2016, the catastrophic Rough Ridge wildfire burned almost 28,000 acres in the Cohutta Wilderness. Other human-caused disruptions, such as disease and invasive pests, continue to alter the forest landscape, includ