Population and Entropy Fluctuations in Ecology: A Thermodynamic Model of Biological Evolution

Although Darwin's Theory of biological evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology, it lacks proper physical foundations. We applied the second law of thermodynamics to analyze biological evolution. Oscillating state variables such as entropy, energy, temperature, pressure, and volume can be conceptualized as an endothermic, reverse Carnot cycle. This endothermic process can accumulate genetic and morphological complexity through a multi-step, cyclic process. This cycle alternates between phases that favor order and maximum energy use (low entropy) or high entropy competition, where natural selection promotes minimal entropy production, favoring highly specialized species. Our argument reconciles the contradictions between the maximum power principle and Prigogine's minimum entropy production theory. Periodic mass extinctions act as pivotal reset points, removing highly specialized evolutionary dead ends while creating opportunities for surviving species to initiate new cycles of enhanced complexity. Notably, genetic material serves as an orthogonal, inert medium, carrying innovations forward and enabling the accumulation of biological complexity. Evolution's capacity to enhance complexity spontaneously through entropic effects suggests a conceptual extension: the "second law of intellect," a complementary