Why is life hierarchical?

Leo W. Buss

The life is hierarchically organized, with species composed of populations, populations of individuals, individuals of cells, cells of organelles, organelles of genomes, genomes of chromosomes, and chromosomes of genes, is so obvious an observation that is quite remarkable that we have no general explanation of why this is so. Life, beginning as self-replicating molecules, did not persist in this initial state. Rather, it sequentially elaborated ‘vehicles’ in which the original heritable units became increasingly distanced from direct interaction with the external environment. Why is life hierarchical?

Fonte: Buss, L. W. 1987. The evolution of individuality. Princetom, PUP.