©Copyright 2018 GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
11060 Campus Street • Loma Linda, California 92350 • 909-558-4548
Download PDF
This article was originally published as a chapter in the book “Design and Catastrophe: 51 Scientists Explore Evidence in Nature"
The special garden in Eden was part of a broader whole, as illustrated when Adam and Eve were expelled from it. From the beginning humans played an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem in which they were placed, for they were to “tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, NKJV). The Creation account indicates that there were aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and that abundant lifeforms were present (Gen. 1:20–25; Ps. 104:14–18, 25–27). Diversity and the richness of interactions among organisms are essential for ecosystem stability.
The interacting design features built into such systems is portrayed when photosynthesizing plants were assigned for human and animal use (Gen. 1:29, 30), and when one considers that, the design of animals dictates that the unused portions of the organic matter consumed is voided. The organic material breakdown process involves enzymes released by the consuming organism and by the multitudinous gut microbes. The deconstructing process by microbes continues in the soil (part of the invisible creation, Col. 1:16).
Terrestrial plants were created to perform roles such as recycling gases and providing food resources for a variety of living organisms. Parallel roles are performed by photosynthetic organisms in aquatic habitats, for God provided food for the life-forms there (Ps. 104:25–27).
It is significant that in performing the assigned roles in terrestrial and aquatic environments, portions (or all) of the photosynthetic organism cease to exist. Hence, we sow seeds to get new plants (the seeds perish), we observe granivory and frugivory (energy transfer occurs), and zooplankton eat phytoplankton. The indicated loss of life does not involve the shedding of blood or cessation of breathing. Such events, familiar today (e.g., carnivory, slaughter), come as a consequence of the Fall (Lev. 17:13, 14; Eccl. 3:19; cf. Isa. 11:6–9).
The cessation of life noted in organisms capable of using inorganic nutrients and photosynthesis (or chemosynthesis) as a source of energy represents a servant-design role that has clear parallels with ideal Christian behavior and future experience (John 12:24; 13:12–17; 1 Cor. 15:35–38).
Dysfunction and degeneration in nature came as a result of human disobedience (Gen. 2:17; 3:16–19). All Creation was affected (Rom. 8:22). Through these changes, the intended purpose and usefulness of life-forms was frustrated, and functional goals became difficult or impossible to achieve, partly due to the time constraints imposed by the premature cessation of biochemical operations (biological death). Human moral failure has additional consequences: unrepentant humans will be subjected to the second (eternal) death (Rev. 20:6–10).
The unicellular aquatic photosynthesizers (e.g., coccolithophores, diatoms, dinoflagellates, cryptophytes) perform their primary production function well.[1] Then the next design function of many follows, serving as a food source for a myriad of other lifeforms among the zooplankton. In formal scientific language, this serving involves an engulfing (phagocytosis, a form of endocytosis) or a grazing process. Having served, their remains are recycled by bacteria. Some dinoflagellates are found living in corals and marine invertebrates to provide energy in their role as beneficiaries. In return, they receive selected nutrients.
Similar beneficiary roles involving microbes are commonly found in terrestrial environments among plants and animals. The latter is illustrated by ruminant animals, which possess a special fermentation chamber (rumen) inhabited by a range of microbes (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and others). They deconstruct the living plant tissues to provide energy for the animal. In complex processes, a majority of the protein required for animal sustenance is often provided by bacteria. In return, the microbes are given a special environment to enable their continued existence.[2] Survival elsewhere is not assured. Microbes provide many benefits to other animals in that they assist in the balanced development of the body and the operation of the immune system,[3] both essential for the “very good” designation given in the beginning (Gen. 1:31). The concept of giving and receiving is a fundamental aspect of God’s plans for our planet (e.g., marriage). We receive from our great Benefactor in order to give (Matt. 10:8; Acts 10:35).
The deconstructing role of microbes is one of their most representative activities. It is, in reality, a service role in that useful materials are provided for other organisms to ensure their continued functioning. It also represents a humble role (cf. Christian experience, 1 Pet. 5:5).
In studying the interactions defining current ecosystems, a range of promoting and dampening activities are involved. The scriptural record makes it clear that the infliction of anxiety, pain, and death were not in God’s original plan (Rev. 21:4; cf. Isa. 65:25). Seed (Hebrew: zera) and seed-bearing plants are mentioned six times in Genesis 1, emphasizing their significance. The study of these plants and their aquatic equivalents, ranging from seed germination, pollination,[4] fertilization, and other events, shows that promoting and controlling activities are hardwired into the operation of a stable ecosystem. Significantly, clear parallels can be drawn with the excitatory and inhibitory actions noted when nerves pass signals via neurotransmitter molecules to other cells in mammals. The process involves both exocytosis and endocytosis.[5] This would appear to establish interactions of a stimulatory and inhibitory nature as part of the design complexity seen at the system level at the beginning. In ecosystems, the complexity of interactions is vital for the maintenance of stability. A complete understanding of the original ecosystem dynamics is, however, beyond current knowledge.
NOTES
[1] A Abada, E Segev. Multicellular features of phytoplankton. Frontiers in Marine Science 2018; 5:144; doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00144.
[2] N Agarwal, DN Kamra, LC Chsudhary. Rumen microbial ecosystem of domesticated ruminants, AK Puniya, R Singh, DN Kamra, editors. Rumen microbiology: from evolution to revolution, New Delhi (India): Springer Science+Business Media; 2015, pp. 17–30.
[3] K Smith, KD McCoy, AJ Macpherson. Use of axenic animals in studying the adaptation of mammals to their commensal intestinal microbiota. Seminars in Immunology 2007; 19(2):59–69.
[4] B McClure, F Cruz-García, C Romero. Compatibility and incompatibility in S-RNase-based systems. Annals of Botany 2011; 108(4):647–658.
[5] H Lodish, A Berk, SL Zipursky, P Matsudaira, D Baltimore, J Darnell. Molecular cell biology. 4th ed. New York: W.H. Freeman; 2000.
Warren A. Shipton is a past president of Asia-Pacific International University, Thailand, and was designated as professor, in perpetuity, by the Thai Palace and Government, being the first foreigner to be so recognized. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Science from the University of Sydney and a MEd from James Cook University. He has written/co-authored nine books, has published extensively in professional journals on microbiology, and has written on a variety of subjects in other journals and magazines. In retirement, he is an associate editor for the journal Human Behavior, Development, and Society.