Introduction

Abstract

As Pittendrigh noted in 1961 in an engaging essay, biologists are confronted with a continuously reproducing and evolving set of highly organized living systems. An organism that has thrived by differential reproductive success is said to be “adapted,” and its adaptation is reflected in its total organization. This organization is strongly history-dependent, having arisen through the twin processes of natural selection and adaptation. Biological problems, therefore, pivot on the complexities of biological organization.