Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Serial Endosymbiotic Theory (Set): The Biosemiotic Update

  • Published:
Acta Biotheoretica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Serial Endosymbiotic Theory explains the origin of nucleated eukaryotic cells by a merging of archaebacterial and eubacterial cells. The paradigmatic change is that the driving force behind evolution is not ramification but merging. Lynn Margulis describes the symbiogenetic processes in the language of mechanistic biology in such terms as “merging”, “fusion”, and “incorporation”. Biosemiotics argues that all cell-cell interactions are (rule-governed) sign-mediated interactions, i.e., communication processes. As the description of plant communication demonstrates, the biosemiotic approach is not limited to the level of molecular biology, but is also helpful in examining all sign-mediated interactions between organisms on the phenotypic level. If biosemiotics also uses the notions of “language” and “communication” to describe non-human sign-mediated interactions, then the underlying scientific justification of such usage should be critically considered. Therefore, I summarize the history of this discussion held between 1920 and 1980 and present its result, the pragmatic turn.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Apel, K.O. (1974). Zur Idee einer transzendentalen Sprachpragmatik. Die Dreistelligkeit der Zeichenrelation und die “abstractive fallacy” in den Grundlagen der klassischen Transzendentalphilosophie und der sprachanalytischen Wissenschaftslogik. In Simon, J. (Ed.) Aspekte und Probleme der Sprachphilosophie. Verlag Karl Alber, Freiburg/München, pp. 283–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, J.L. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bais, H.P., S.W. Park, T.L. Weir, R.M. Callaway and J.M. Vivanco (2004). How plants communicate using the underground information superhighway. Trends in Plant Science 9: 26–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baluska, F., D. Volkmann and P.W. Barlow (2004). Eukaryotic Cells and their Cell Bodies: Cell Theory Revised. Annals of Botany 94: 9–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baluska, F., D.Volkmann, A. Hlavacka, S. Mancuso and P.W. Barlow (Eds.) (2006). Communication in Plants. Springer Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbieri, M. (2001). The Organic Codes. The birth of semantic biology. Ancona: PeQuod.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, P. (2001). Viral eukaryogenesis: Was the ancestor of the nucleus a complex DNA virus? Journal of Molecular Evolution 53: 251–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavalier-Smith, T. and M.J. Beaton (1999). The skeletal function of non-coding DNA: New evidence from ancient cell chimeras. Genetics 106: 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmeche, C. and J. Hoffmeyer (2005). Code-duality and the semiotics of nature. Journal of Biosemiotics 1: 27–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Habermas, J. (1979). Communication and Evolution of Society. Beacon Press, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmeyer, J. (1996). Signs of meaning in the Universe. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaenisch, R. and A. Bird (2003). Epigenetic regulation of gene expression: How the genome integrates intrinsic and environmental signals. Nature genetics supplement 33: 245–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kull, K. (2005). A brief history of biosemiotics. Journal of Biosemiotics 1: 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margulis, L. and K.V. Schwartz (1988). Five Kingdoms. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margulis, L. (1996). Archaeal-eubacterial mergers in the origin of Eukarya: Phylogenetic classification of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 93: 1071–1076.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margulis, L. (1999). Die andere Evolution. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margulis, L., M.F. Dolan and R. Guerrero (2000). The chimeric eukaryote: Origin of the nucleus from the karyomastigont in an amitochondriate protists. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 97: 6954–6959.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margulis, L. and D. Sagan (2002). Acquiring genomes. A Theory of the Origin of Species. Basic Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margulis, L. (2004). Serial endosymbiotic theory (SET) and composite individuality. Transition from bacterial to eukaryotic genomes. Microbiology Today 31: 173–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markos, A. (2002). Readers of the Book of Life. Oxford University Press, Oxford/New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattick, J.S. and M.J. Gagen (2001). The evolution of controlled multitasked gene networks: The role of introns and other noncoding RNAs in the development of complex organisms. Molecular Biology and Evolution 18: 1611–1630.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattick, J.S. (2001). Non-coding RNAs: The architects of eukaryotic complexity. EMBO Reports 2: 986–991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattick, J.S. (2003). Challenging the dogma: The hidden layer of noncoding RNAs in complex organisms. BioEssays 25: 930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattick, J.S. (2005). Das verkannte Genom-Programm. Spektrum der Wissenschaft 3: 62–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, T. (1984). Translator's introduction. In: Habermas, J., The Theory of Communicative Action 1, p. ix, Beacon Press, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nöth, W. (2000). Handbuch der Semiotik. Metzler, Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pattee, H.H. (2005). The physics and metaphysics of biosemiotics. Journal of Biosemiotics 1: 223–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, F. (2002). Darwin's blind spot: evolution beyond natural selection. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searcy, D.G. (2003). Metabolic integration during the evolutionary origin of mitochondria. Cell Research 13: 229–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Searle, J.R. (1976). Speech acts. An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge University Press.

  • Schmitt, S. and R. Paro (2004). A reason for reading nonsense. Nature 429: 510–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, J.A. and R.V. Sternberg (2005). Why repetitive DNA is essential to genome function. Biological Review 80: 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spotswood, H.T. and B.M. Turner (2002). An increasingly complex code. The Journal of Clinical Investigation 110: 577–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R.V. (2002). On the roles of repetitive DNA elements in the context of a unified genomic-epigenetic system. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 981: 154–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trewavas, A. (2003). Aspects of plant intelligence. Annals of Botany 92: 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trewavas, A. (2004). Aspects of plant intelligence: An Answer to Firn. Annals of Botany 93: 353–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trewavas, A. (2005). Green plants as intelligent organisms. Trends in Plant Science 10: 413–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • True, H.L., I. Berlin and S.L. Lindquist (2004). Epigenetic regulation of translation reveals hidden genetic variation to produce complex traits. Nature 431: 184–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, B. M. (2002). Cellular memory and the histone code. Cell 111: 285–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villarreal, L.P. and V.R. De Filippis (2000). A hypothesis for DNA viruses as the origin of eukaryotic replication proteins. Journal of Virology 74: 7079–7084.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villarreal, L.P. (2004). Can viruses make us humans? Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 148: 296–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vollmert, B. (1985). Das Molekül und das Leben. Rowohlt, Reinbeck.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., W. Fischle, W. Cheung, S. Jacobs, S. Khorasanizadeh and C.D. Allis (2004). Beyond the double helix: Writing and reading the histone code. In: Bock, G. and Goode, J. (Eds.) Reversible Protein Acetylation. Novartis Foundation, 2004.

  • Walker, T.S. (2003). Root exudation and rhizosphere biology. Plant Physiology 132: 44–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, J. D., M. Gilman, J. Witkowski and M. Zoller (21992). Recombinant DNA. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1972). Philosophical Investigations. Basil & Blackwell, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (1993). Natur der Sprache — Sprache der Natur. Sprachpragmatische Philosophie der Biologie. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (1995). From the “logic of the molecular syntax” to molecular pragmatism. Evolution and Cognition 1: 148–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (1998). Explaining and understanding LIFE. Semiotica, 120: 421–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (2000). Life: The communicative structure. A New Philosophy of Biology. Libri Books on Demand, Norderstedt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (2002). Reduction of biological phenomena? Deficits of systems theory and the alternatives. In: Schmitz, W. (Ed.), Sign Processes in Complex Systems, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin/New York, 303–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (2005a). From biosphere to semiosphere to social lifeworlds. Biology as an understanding social science. TripleC-Cognition, Communication, Cooperation 3: 51–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (2005b). Natural history of life: History of communication logics and dynamics. S.E.E.D. Journal 5: 27–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witzany, G. (2006). The Logos of the Bios 1. Contributions to the foundation of a three-leveled Biosemiotics. Umweb, Helsinki.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. telos – Philosophische Praxis, Vogelsangstr. 18c, A-5111-Buermoos/Salzburg, Austria

    Günther Witzany

Authors
  1. Günther Witzany
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Günther Witzany.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Witzany, G. Serial Endosymbiotic Theory (Set): The Biosemiotic Update. Acta Biotheor 54, 103–117 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-006-7831-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-006-7831-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation