Emergence or self-organization?: Look to the soil population

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Thermodynamics
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Emergent systems are characterized by properties exceeding the sum of their parts, exhibiting bottom-up organization and chemical signaling.
• Self-organization principles from thermodynamics, particularly the second and third stages, offer analogies for ecosystem functioning and stability.
• Previous work suggested the second stage of thermodynamics as an analog for ecosystem behavior under perturbation, but this requires self-organization capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationship between emergence and self-organization in ecological systems.
• To investigate the role of thermodynamics, specifically entropy maximization, in ecosystem self-organization.
• To determine if the capacity to confer self-organization is a key characteristic of biological emergent systems.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis linking thermodynamic stages to ecosystem functioning.
• Examination of soil populations as a model for self-organization in decomposition.
• Comparative analysis of emergent systems like beehives and termite colonies.

Main Results:

• Emergence and self-organization are closely linked, potentially interchangeable concepts.
• The third stage of thermodynamics, through entropy maximization, provides a mechanism for ecosystem self-organization.
• Soil populations actively confer self-organization at ecosystem and global levels.
• Biological emergent systems, such as beehives, demonstrate the ability to confer self-organization.

Conclusions:

• Self-organization in ecosystems is driven by processes analogous to thermodynamic entropy maximization, exemplified by soil populations.
• The ability to confer self-organization appears to be a defining characteristic of biological emergent systems.
• Understanding emergence and self-organization is crucial for comprehending ecosystem dynamics and stability.