Description
The property of an open system which either is an organism or can be treated as an organism where the chief characteristics of an organism are a relatively fixed ordering of components, reproduction of the same type or species, and existence of a life cycle. Organisms, in addition to transforming energy as mechanisms, also function as systems capable of processing, storing, and receiving information, and of making decisions. These attributes also characterize some non-living systems. The concept of an organized system therefore includes organisms.