living systems
Life forms collectively
Living systems are entities that exhibit the characteristics of life—metabolism, growth, reproduction, response to stimuli, and self-regulation.
The term encompasses organisms from bacteria to whales, but extends to higher-order arrangements: ecosystems, societies, even corporations viewed as adaptive wholes.
In systems theory, living systems maintain themselves through continuous exchange with their environment, distinguishing them from machines that merely execute functions.
The cell is the basic unit of all living systems.
- cellBasic unit of life
- cell membraneOuter layer of cytoplasm
- organismLiving biological entity
- life forceAnimating vital energy
- homeostasisBiological internal stability maintenance
self-organization · metabolism · adaptation · symbiosis · morphogenesis · natural selection · predation · food chain · web of life · emergence · survival instinct · co-evolution · ecosystem · biosphere · tree of life · circle of life · carbon cycle · biomimicry