Lichens: The Adaptive Intelligence of Symbiosis
Creators: name: Bostick, Devin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Lichens/virology
subject: Lichen Planus/virology
subject: Lichen Planus/etiology
subject: Lichen Nitidus/etiology
subject: Lichen Nitidus/virology
subject: Lichen Planus, Oral/virology
subject: Lichen Planus, Oral/etiology
subject: Lichen Biology
subject: Symbiosis
subject: Symbiosis
subject: Symbiosis/physiology
subject: Symbiosis/immunology
subject: Symbiosis/genetics
subject: Microbiology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Microbiology
subject: Microbiology
subject: Mycology
subject: Mycology
subject: Mycology
subject: Photosynthesis
subject: Photosynthesis
subject: Photosynthesis/ethics
subject: Fungal Biology
subject: Chromosomes, Fungal/virology
subject: Evolutionary biology
subject: Adaptation, Biological
subject: Adaptation strategy
subject: Adaptation, Physiological
subject: Host Adaptation
subject: Extreme Environments
subject: Biochemical Networks
subject: Climate Change Indicators
subject: Environmental Science
subject: Environmental science
subject: Environmental sciences
subject: Environmental Science/standards
subject: Complex Systems
subject: Complex Dynamics
subject: Emergent Intelligence
subject: CODES
subject: Structured Resonance
subject: Phase-Locking
subject: Self-Organizing Systems
subject: Artificial Intelligence
subject: Artificial intelligence
subject: Artificial Intelligence
subject: Neural Networks
subject: Biological Intelligence
subject: Neural Networks, Computer
subject: Astrobiology
subject: Space Biology
subject: Extracellular Space/virology
subject: Machine learning
subject: Machine Learning
subject: Quantum Biology

description: 1. Expanded CODES Framework (Empirical Studies + Theory)

🔹 CODES: The Chirality of Dynamic Emergent Systems (Main Paper)

2. Introduction & High-Level Overview

🔹 CODES: High-Level Introduction

3. Structured Resonance & Emergent Intelligence

🔹 Structured Resonance and the Nature of Intelligence

 

Abstract

Lichens represent one of nature’s most remarkable examples of symbiosis, adaptation, and structured emergence—an evolutionary innovation that blurs the boundaries between species, ecosystems, and intelligence. As self-organizing systems composed of fungi, algae, and/or cyanobacteria, lichens challenge traditional biological classification, displaying emergent properties that extend beyond their individual components.

This paper explores the biological, ecological, and evolutionary significance of lichens through the lens of structured resonance intelligence (CODES)—examining how these composite organisms serve as a model for cooperative adaptation, information flow, and environmental resilience. The study covers:

1. Biological Structure & Function – The biochemical interactions that sustain lichens as self-organizing ecosystems.

2. Symbiosis & Evolution – The evolutionary strategies that enable lichens to thrive in extreme environments.

3. Resonance & Communication – How lichens exchange information at chemical, genetic, and ecological levels.

4. Lichens as Environmental Indicators – Their role in climate science, bio-monitoring, and planetary habitability.

5. Lichens in Theoretical Biology & AI – Applications in emergent intelligence, resilience modeling, and complex adaptive systems.

By examining lichens through structured emergence, this paper provides a systems-level understanding of how life organizes itself through cooperation rather than competition—challenging reductionist views in biology, AI, and intelligence theory.