Figure 1.

From sequence to information. This figure shows the different levels of information, from DNA to environment. Each layer depicts a different level of information that can be obtained from sequences. The DNA sequence encodes the genetic information that is decoded by the translational machinery into amino acid sequences. These in turn fold into functional proteins. The protein functions provide information about the capabilities of an organism such as its metabolism. Combined information of many organisms and environmental parameters characterize ecosystem dynamics. All these information layers can be used to infer different relationships, for example, in the form of networks or models. Including the temporal aspect (big blue 3D arrow), another dimension of information is gained, from which temporal correlations and interactions can be determined. A major task of time-series analysis and mechanistic modelling is to predict the future from information collected from the past. The more distant the future is that we try to predict, the more the uncertainty (question marks) increases.