Termodinâmica

Thermodynamic Function of Life
K. Michaelian, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Cto. de la Investigación Científica Cuidad Universitaria, Mexico D.F., C.P. 04510 [e-mail] Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone] Abstract:
Darwinian Theory depicts life as being overwhelmingly consumed by a fight for survival in a hostile environment. However, from a thermodynamic perspective, life is a dynamic, out of equilibrium process, stabilizing and coevolving in concert with its abiotic environment. The living component of the biosphere of greatest mass, the plants and cyanobacteria, are involved in the transpiration of vast amounts of water. Transpiration is part of the global water cycle, and it is this cycle that distinguishes Earth from its apparently life barren neighboring planets, Venus and Mars. The water cycle, including the absorption of sunlight in the biosphere, is by far the greatest entropy producing process occurring on Earth. Life, from this perspective, can therefore be viewed as performing an important thermodynamic function; acting as a dynamic catalyst by aiding process such as the water cycle, hurricanes, and ocean and wind currents to produce entropy. The role of animals in this view is that of unwitting but dedicated servants of the plants and cyanobacteria, helping them to grow and to spread into initially inhospitable areas.

Keywords: Life, Water Cycle, Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Introduction Darwin suggested that life was at the mercy of the forces of Nature and would necessarily adapt through natural selection to the demands of the external environmental. However, it has since become apparent that life plays a pivotal role in altering its physical environment (Lovelock, 1988) and what once appeared to be biotic evolution in response to abiotic pressure is now seen as coevolution of the biotic together with the abiotic to greater levels of complexity, stability, and entropy production (Ulanowicz and