Dynamical similarity and the theory of biological transformations |
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Authors: | Robert Rosen |
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Institution: | (1) Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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Abstract: | The D'Arcy Thompson concept of biological transformations is developed in a form analogous to such physical concepts as the
Law of Corresponding States in thermodynamics, and the Principles of Similitude found in engineering. We find that such concepts
depend on a distinction between fundamental and derived quantities, in which the values assigned to the fundamental quantities
set the natural scales for the derived ones. Among other things, we see that critical phenomena, such as phase transitions,
arise as an immediate consequence of this distinction. In a biological context, we explore the implications of Thompson's
hypothesis that closely related organisms are phenotypically similar, assuming that the organisms we see are the result of
selection processes operating on phenotypes. |
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Keywords: | |
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