NextPrevious

Environment and Ecology

The Earth’s Environment

What is the Gaia Hypothesis?

The Gaia Hypothesis (or Gaia Theory or Gaia Principle)—named for Gaia, the Earth goddess of ancient Greece—is a theory that all organisms coevolve and interact with their nonliving surroundings to create a complex system that helps maintain our planet. It was first proposed in 1974 by English environmentalist James Lovelock (1919–) and American biologist Lynn [Alexander] Margulis (1938–2011; she was also known for her theory on the origin of eukaryotic organelles). Precursors to the theory proposed that the world was a single living organism capable of self-maintenance and regulation—an idea that was eventually expanded upon by Lovelock. Many scientists have regarded the Gaia Hypothesis as a useful analogy, but a difficult theory to test scientifically; however, it has also helped to expand ideas in several fields, including biogeochemistry and geophysiology.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Biology Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App