Human ecology
Biology

---

Definitions of life

---

M.E.R.R.I.N.G.

• Movement - Animals and single cell. (plants ??)
• Excretion
• Reproduction
• Respiration
• Irritability
• Nutrition - (Including photosynthesis)
• Growth

Example - Beech Tree MERRING

• Movement. Phototaxis? Seed?
• Excretion. (Photosynthesis - Oxygen) (Respiration - CO2 and Water) (Nutrition - Nitrates, etc heartwood, leaf fall)
• Reproduction. Both sexes on each plant. both male and female flowers. Seed - beech mast. low amounts of mast most years but occasional mast years)
• Respiration. Self-production of sugars. Sugar and oxygen - water and CO2)
• Irritability. ?
• Nutrition - (photosynthesis) (intake of water and nutrients through root system. symbiotic root fungi?)
• Growth. Annual (and annular?)

---

Capacities of living organisms (Mayr 1997, p.22)

• Evolution
• Self-replication
• Growth and differentiation via a genetic program
• Metabolism
• Self-regulation
• Response to stimuli from the environment
• Change in phenotype and genotype

---

Properties of "autonomous agents" (Kauffman 2000, p.8)

• Must be a self-reproducing molecular system
• Must be able to carry out one or more thermodynamic work cycles

---

Links at this site...

• A bioenergetic representation of life. Living cells possess and maintain chemical gradients across their cell membranes.

---

Links at other sites...

---

Created 9/4/01
Last modified