Selection Principles for Gaia
| Autor: | Rudy Arthur, Arwen E. Nicholson |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Statistics and Probability
Earth Planet Computer science Entropy media_common.quotation_subject Gaia hypothesis General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology symbols.namesake Taxonomy (general) Entropy (information theory) Quantitative Biology - Populations and Evolution Selection (genetic algorithm) media_common Hierarchy General Immunology and Microbiology Habitability Applied Mathematics Populations and Evolution (q-bio.PE) General Medicine Data science FOS: Biological sciences Modeling and Simulation Extraterrestrial life symbols Psychological resilience General Agricultural and Biological Sciences |
| Popis: | The Gaia hypothesis considers the life-environment coupled system as a single entity that acts to regulate and maintain habitable conditions on Earth. In this paper we discuss three mechanisms which could potentially lead to Gaia: Selection by Survival, Sequential Selection and Entropic Hierarchy. We use the Tangled Nature Model of co-evolution as a common framework for investigating all three, using an extended version of the standard model to elaborate on Gaia as an example of an entropic hierarchy. This idea, which combines sequential selection together with a reservoir of diversity that acts as a ‘memory’, implies a tendency towards growth and increasing resilience of the Gaian system over time. We then discuss how Gaian memory could be realised in practice via the microbial seed bank, climate refugia and lateral gene transfer and conclude by discussing testable implications of an entropic hierarchy for the study of Earth history and the search for life in the universe. This paper adds to the existing taxonomy of Gaia hypotheses to suggest an “Entropic Gaia” where we argue that increasing biomass, complexity and enhanced habitability over time is a statistically likely feature of a co-evolving system. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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