Abstract
Life can flourish only within a narrowly circumscribed range of physical and chemical states and since life began the Earth has kept within this range. This is remarkable for there have been major perturbations such as a progressive increase in solar luminosity, extensive changes in the surface and atmospheric chemical composition and the impact of many planetesimals. The anomalous and chemically unstable composition of the Earth’s atmosphere when compared with those of the other terrestrial planets was the first indication of homeostasis by the biota to maintain conditions favourable for their continued survival. This paper will discuss recent evidence in support of the gaia hypothesis and present a simple model of a planetary ecosystem in which homeostasis is a direct and automatic result of the characteristic properties of life.
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© 1983 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Lovelock, J.E. (1983). Gaia as Seen Through the Atmosphere. In: Westbroek, P., de Jong, E.W. (eds) Biomineralization and Biological Metal Accumulation. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7944-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7944-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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