I am wondering if decay is actually necessary for us to have a functioning biosphere--and if it is actually necessary for us to have functioning bodies. Imagine, for example, a forest floor covered in leaves that never decay, so that the leaves endlessly pile up. Or if your hair never fell out.
What I'm wondering about, though, is more than that. Could there be life as we know it without processes of decay? Would digestion work? Would we even need to eat? Would apples grow on trees? What would be different without processes of decay? Could there be human beings and apples without decay?
@MindWalk how are you defining decay? Would it be more direct to ask is death necessary for life? If we're talking about food web transfer of energy in ecosystems then it would seem so--unavoidable in fact. It's also hard to imagine Adam and Eve *not* killing bacteria with every foot step.
lol
I am wondering if decay is actually necessary for us to have a functioning biosphere--and if it is actually necessary for us to have functioning bodies. Imagine, for example, a forest floor covered in leaves that never decay, so that the leaves endlessly pile up. Or if your hair never fell out.
What I'm wondering about, though, is more than that. Could there be life as we know it without processes of decay? Would digestion work? Would we even need to eat? Would apples grow on trees? What would be different without processes of decay? Could there be human beings and apples without decay?