LIFE AS A MANIFESTATION OF THE 2ND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

We examine the thermodynamic evolution of various evolving systems, fr om primitive physical systems to complex living systems, and conclude that they involve similar processes which are phenomenological manifes tations of the second law of thermodynamics. We take the reformulated second law of thermodynamics of Hatsopoulos and Keenan and Kestin and extend it to nonequilibrium regions, where nonequilibrium is described in terms of gradients maintaining systems at some distance away from equilibrium. The reformulated second law suggests that as systems are moved away from equilibrium they will take advantage of all available means to resist externally applied gradients. When highly ordered comp lex systems emerge, they develop and grow at the expense of increasing the disorder at higher levels in the system's hierarchy. We note that this behaviour appears universally in physical and chemical systems. We present a paradigm which provides for a thermodynamically consisten t explanation of why there is life, including the origin of life, biol ogical growth, the development of ecosystems, and patterns of biologic al evolution observed in the fossil record. We illustrate the use of t his paradigm through a discussion of ecosystem development. We argue t hat as ecosystems grow and develop, they should increase their total d issipation, develop more complex structures with more energy flow, inc rease their cycling activity, develop greater diversity and generate m ore hierarchical levels, all to abet energy degradation. Species which survive in ecosystems are those that funnel energy into their own pro duction and reproduction and contribute to autocatalytic processes whi ch increase the total dissipation of the ecosystem. In short, ecosyste ms develop in ways which systematically increase their ability to degr ade the incoming solar energy. We believe that our thermodynamic parad igm makes it possible for the study of ecosystems to be developed from a descriptive science to predictive science founded on the most basic principle of physics.