How and Why in Biology – Traditional Answers and New Thinking
There are many ways to answer biological questions; such as how things work, why they are useful, what part they play in the life of the animal, and how they might have evolved.
An article about 'how cells tell time' looks at time-keeping mechanisms at the cellular level, and why they are useful for living things.
'Migration' looks at the reasons for animal migration, and how they can evolve over time to adjust to environmental change.
In 'Honeybees ... a superorganism' the reason for the evolution of colonial living in social bees is explained, and the way that this led on to the evolution of a 'superorganism' is suggested.
New ideas involving greater complexity
Recently biologists have begun to broaden the scope of their answers, pointing out that no single animal (or species) lives in isolation. Living things interact with their environment and can influence everything around them – from all the other animals and plants they live alongside to their physical habitat. 'Interaction Webs' looks at the way the old concepts of 'food chains' and 'food webs' can miss much of the complexity inherent in natural systems. Plants and animals affect the place where they live, and the changes they make to this physical environment have 'knock on' effects on their own well-being and that of all other organisms sharing the habitat.
It could be argued that a functioning ecosystem is on its way to becoming a 'superorganism' in its own right – with checks and balances to maintain a 'steady state' environment suitable for all member species. Maybe the 'Gaia Hypothesis' is not daft after all!
Human Effects
Humans are incredibly good at manipulating their environment. Farmed land replaces natural habitats and urban development drains wetlands. Just like any other animal we alter the place we live – the problem is that we now live almost everywhere and are having a significant effect on the whole planet.
I am not going to go on to suggest that 'Gaia' will 'react' in any sort of intelligent way, just to point out that we are now forcing change at a pace that is novel. Many species cannot adapt fast enough and humans are responsible for the current 'mass extinction'. Life will survive, but without any way of predicting the environmental consequences of the changes we are making to the ecosystems of the biosphere (we know too little) it is not certain that humans will be among the survivors!
An article about 'how cells tell time' looks at time-keeping mechanisms at the cellular level, and why they are useful for living things.
'Migration' looks at the reasons for animal migration, and how they can evolve over time to adjust to environmental change.
In 'Honeybees ... a superorganism' the reason for the evolution of colonial living in social bees is explained, and the way that this led on to the evolution of a 'superorganism' is suggested.
New ideas involving greater complexity
Recently biologists have begun to broaden the scope of their answers, pointing out that no single animal (or species) lives in isolation. Living things interact with their environment and can influence everything around them – from all the other animals and plants they live alongside to their physical habitat. 'Interaction Webs' looks at the way the old concepts of 'food chains' and 'food webs' can miss much of the complexity inherent in natural systems. Plants and animals affect the place where they live, and the changes they make to this physical environment have 'knock on' effects on their own well-being and that of all other organisms sharing the habitat.
It could be argued that a functioning ecosystem is on its way to becoming a 'superorganism' in its own right – with checks and balances to maintain a 'steady state' environment suitable for all member species. Maybe the 'Gaia Hypothesis' is not daft after all!
Human Effects
Humans are incredibly good at manipulating their environment. Farmed land replaces natural habitats and urban development drains wetlands. Just like any other animal we alter the place we live – the problem is that we now live almost everywhere and are having a significant effect on the whole planet.
I am not going to go on to suggest that 'Gaia' will 'react' in any sort of intelligent way, just to point out that we are now forcing change at a pace that is novel. Many species cannot adapt fast enough and humans are responsible for the current 'mass extinction'. Life will survive, but without any way of predicting the environmental consequences of the changes we are making to the ecosystems of the biosphere (we know too little) it is not certain that humans will be among the survivors!
Comments
Mike Brandolino
First thing...great post!!!
Biology is a relatively new science, compare to say, astronomy, which has been around for thousands of years. There is so much that we simply do not know about the living world.
We are still trying to understand how to maintain the delicate balance of nature, while addressing our needs. Many times, humans make poor decisions and cause permanent damage (at least for the foreseeable future) to the planet.
The Earth has evolved to heal itself. But, can it keep pace with humans?
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