1.2.2. Ecosystem Example

1. *Summary: The text discusses the principles of life and how they apply to various systems, using the example of soil development to illustrate the process of life building upon itself. It explains how microbes, lichens, plants, and trees gradually transform bare rocks into fertile soil over time. The speaker emphasizes that this same principle of life applies to other natural systems, including the human body.*

The principles of life, the fundamental principles of life, they are truly fundamental in the sense that are reflected at all levels. They reflected in the functioning of global ecosystems, in the functioning of, let's say, a forest, a single cell or it could be our body. The same principles apply also to the, let's say, relationship in a family, on a business or in a company. So to get this point across let me use a very simple example of soils. So what does it mean to approach a study of medical technology from a principal point of view? Okay. So soil, what is soil? Soil is a cradle of life. And development of the soil happens in stages. So if you look on the left, you see bare rocks. So on these bare rocks, you will see the microbes. This microbe will be gradually covering all the surface of rocks and they will start eating away and crumpling the rocks until they start disintegrate because the microbe releases small acids. So in time, these acids will create some organic debris. So next you will see lichen. As the lichens build up some more soil, then you will see plants, then you will get brushes, and eventually you will get to the trees. So this process takes time. It may take hundreds of years, it can take actually 1,000 years. But what you will see here is a principle of life that operates here. In other words, life here brings it together for more simple system, it enriches and builds up life. So in this, pretty much the same process applies to any natural system, be it forest, be it ocean or even a growth of human body. So what you see here is a principle in operation in natural ecosystem. Okay. So this is