Universal Life Competency- Ability Framework and Equation: A Conceptual Systems-Biology Model

Abstract

Living organisms across biological taxa—including humans, animals, birds, fish, insects, plants, and microorganisms—can be conceptualized as open thermodynamic systems that sustain internal order through continuous exchange of matter and energy with their environments. While extensive work in physiology, ecology, and systems biology has investigated metabolic scaling, resource assimilation, and energy budgets, few integrative frameworks exist for synthesizing absorption processes, physiological losses, organismal mass, and biochemical competency into a unified comparative model that applies across taxa.

This paper presents the Universal Life Competency–Ability Framework, a conceptual systems-biology model that formalizes biological performance as the product of three core determinants: organism mass (M), net resource uptake rate (AE − TE), and a composite competency coefficient (CE) capturing biochemical and physiological efficiency. The resulting index is not proposed as a physical law but as a scalable, mass-balance-based metric that enables comparative interpretation of biological performance across life forms.

The Introduction reviews existing biological models related to mass-energy balance, metabolic scaling, ecological energetics, and plant–animal physiology, highlighting the conceptual gap addressed by this framework. The Methods section derives the model using established thermodynamic and physiological principles and defines all parameters. Results demonstrate how the model applies across major taxa through conceptual scenarios rather than numerical predictions. The Discussion interprets biological implications, examines alignment with existing theories, and identifies limitations and future research directions.

Findings suggest that organisms experiencing positive net uptake (AE > TE) and high competency (CE) exhibit greater biological performance and resilience, while those in nutrient deficiency, disease, or stress states exhibit reduced net uptake and diminished competency. Importantly, the framework aligns with empirical observations in plant physiology (photosynthesis–respiration balance), animal nutrition (intake–expenditure models), and ecological energetics (net primary productivity and trophic transfer).

This systems-level model offers a unifying conceptual lens for interpreting cross-taxonomic variation in growth, vitality, and function without overclaiming precision or universality. It complements existing detailed models by emphasizing emergent principles shared across living organisms. Future work may formalize empirical estimation of CE, integrate species-specific scaling exponents, and explore applications in agriculture, environmental physiology, conservation biology, and bioengineering.