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Multiple Choice
Which of the following is a limitation of reductionism when applied to living systems?
A
It may overlook emergent properties that arise from complex interactions within biological systems.
B
It always provides a complete understanding of how biological systems function.
C
It focuses exclusively on the evolutionary history of organisms.
D
It emphasizes the importance of studying systems only at the ecosystem level.
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the concept of reductionism: Reductionism is an approach in biology where complex systems are broken down into their simpler components to study and understand them. While this method is useful, it has limitations when applied to living systems.
Identify the limitation of reductionism: Reductionism may fail to account for emergent properties, which are characteristics or behaviors that arise from the interactions and complexity of the system as a whole, rather than from its individual parts.
Analyze the options provided: Evaluate each option to determine if it accurately describes a limitation of reductionism. For example, reductionism does not focus exclusively on evolutionary history or study systems only at the ecosystem level, so these options can be ruled out.
Focus on emergent properties: Emergent properties are a key concept in biology, as they highlight how the whole system can exhibit behaviors or properties that are not evident from studying individual components alone. Reductionism may overlook these properties.
Select the correct answer: Based on the analysis, the correct limitation of reductionism is that it may overlook emergent properties that arise from complex interactions within biological systems.