At the Rare Endophyte Collectors Club (RECC) biological hobbyists meet to identify, discuss and trade information about new, rare and hard to access microorganisms. The race is on: who will get to unlock, collect and share the secrets of the microbiome era?
Endophytes are the microorganisms, especially fungi, that live inside of plants. The relationship between an endophyte and its host plant is not well understood, but some of these microorganisms are believed to enhance host growth and nutrient acquisition, as well as improve the plant’s ability to tolerate abiotic stresses. Researchers around the world are isolating novel endophytes to investigate their potential agricultural or even pharmaceutical applications.
This website helps members of Rare Endophyte Collectors Clubs learn the methods and procedures for creating endophyte experiments, and isolating and identifying these microorganisms. This website is also a space to debate and discuss the process of discovering, naming, and owning organisms in contemporary scientific research.
RECC was created with help from the Department of Botany at Trinity College Dublin. The project has been supported by Science Gallery Dublin, Trinity Creative Challenge, Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, Art(Science)BLR and Medialab Prado.
Special thank you to Shreyasi Kar and her team from Art[Science]BLR who facilitated and ran the Endophyte Club lab work in autumn 2016.
The Srishti students who created the Endophyte Club: Bangalore were:
Aanchal Anil Bagalwadi, Akshay Vijay Dalvi, Anahat Kaur, Anisha Baid, Anupa Ann, Joshy Ines Barros, Khushboo Hemedrasinh Vansia, Nandini Tambi, Ria Patel, Shamika Biswas, Shraddha Lohia, Stuti Prakashkumar
