Necessity of chance: biological roulettes and biodiversity

Chance plays an important role in the dynamics of biodiversity. It is largely responsible for the spontaneous processes leading to biological diversification. The mechanisms behind chance belong to two categories: on the one hand, those outside of biological systems, and thus belonging to their environment, on the other hand, those endogenous to these systems. These last mechanisms are present at all levels of the hierarchical organization of the living world, from genes to ecosystems. We propose calling them ‘biological roulettes’. Like roulettes in casinos, they could be deterministic processes functioning in chaotic domains and producing results that look as though they had been generated by random processes. The spontaneous appearance and natural selection of these roulettes have led to living systems potentially adapted to new environmental conditions not encountered before. They may even have permitted some of them to survive major upheavals. Moreover, palaeontological data show that the rate of biological diversification accelerates and that living systems become more and more complex over time. That may also increase their resilience. It can be also the consequence of the appearance and the selection of ‘biological roulettes’ and of chance they generate. They are at the same time products and engines of the evolution. Without them, life would have disappeared from the Earth a long time ago. Thus, they are of primary importance.