∞ generated and posted on 2016.12.16 ∞
Organisms, their components, and their interactions.
| Life is the consequence of living, that is, being alive, but otherwise is difficult if not impossible to precisely define, consisting of something that is dynamic but not too dynamic, fluid but not too fluid, solid but not too solid, often incredibly complex, and, above all, able to produce more of itself over time. |
Figure legend: Shown is one view on how life 'works' from a mostly molecular but also evolutionary perspective.
Figure legend: Interlocking of genotype (genes) with phenotype (cells/body), with environment (populations, communities, ecosystems). Genotype gives rise to phenotype in the course of gene expression. The resulting cells and/or bodies consist of gene products (RNA and proteins) as well as the products of enzymes (lipids and carbohydrates, etc.). Organisms interact with their environments through their cells/bodies, with this interaction constituting their ecology. Environments, in turn, can be differentiated into biotic as well as abiotic components. Input from the environment also can impact the information content of genotype in a process we call evolution.