A General Law of Behavior: Theoretical Validation of ARCH Dynamics in Plant Phenology

Flower opening behavior in Petunia hybrida can be formally described by the ARCH equation: Behavior = Archetype × Drive × Culture. This model, which asserts that behavior results from the conjunctive necessity of three orthogonal components—conserved biological scripts, internal activation energy, and environmental modulation—offers a falsifiable, predictive framework for understanding biological behavior. Though empirical data are pending or incomplete, we outline how Petunia flower opening provides an ideal system for validating this law. The ARCH framework advances a unified theory of behavior grounded in ethology, systems biology, and thermodynamic principles.