What are the origins of chance? Although its existence has long been accepted as a fact, the theory of probability only allows an examination of the random events produced by chance without enabling a determination of what creates it - and this despite the knowledge that living systems need chance to survive.
This book identifies two origins - one external, coming from the environment, and the other, internal, produced by biological mechanisms that are molecular as well as cellular, demographic and ecological. By examining biodiversity at all scales and all levels, the author seeks to evaluate the breadth of knowledge on this subject, to propose an integrated look at living things and to assess the role of chance in the dynamics of biodiversity.