Teemingness

Teemingness provides a vital conceptual tool for the Anthropocene. By shifting our focus from the "abundance" of resources to the "teemingness" of active, swarming life, we can move toward a more inclusive and ecologically grounded version of human existence—one that acknowledges our existence as "unique moist packages of animated soil".

This paper argues for a transition in ecological discourse from "abundance"—a quantitative measure of resources—to "teemingness," a qualitative recognition of the active, interdependent swarming of life. By examining the "teemingness" of the virosphere and soil ecosystems, we can decenter human agency and recognize the complex "bioinfrastructure" that sustains planetary life. 1. Defining Teemingness: Beyond Abundance teemingness

Recent scholarship in "multispecies ethnography" uses teemingness to describe hidden worlds that are often ignored until they are disrupted. Teemingness provides a vital conceptual tool for the

The Vital Swarm: Reimagining Teemingness as Ecological Bioinfrastructure By examining the "teemingness" of the virosphere and

: Unlike "copiousness," which describes a static supply, teemingness specifically refers to entities—often living—that are swarming or moving .

: Soil is increasingly framed not just as a medium for production but as a "bioinfrastructure" teeming with unloved entities like chytrids (algae-like fungi) that perform essential molecular labor in waste decomposition.