The Biosphere as a Living System. On Peculiarities of the Evolutionary Process on the Biosphere Level
Journal Title: Philosophy and Cosmology - Year 2016, Vol 17, Issue
Abstract
The main purpose of this second essay the “biospherology” is to streamline and formalize the existing knowledge about the biosphere, to develop the theoretical basis of the theory of evolution of the biosphere. Despite the vast amount of research on ways of origin and development of life, yet there is no generally accepted theory of evolution of life on Earth, which would not only contain the phenomenology of this process, but also an understanding of the mechanism of functioning of the biosphere as a self-regulating living organism. In the first essay, the necessity of such an understanding to preserve life-supporting functions of the biosphere under increasing anthropogenic pressure. As solution it has been proposed in the form of transition to the managed (controlled) evolution of the biosphere – to process of maintenance of life-supporting ability of the biosphere by management of Humankind activity. This essay is an attempt to create a consistent picture of the structure and functioning of the Earth life, the main achievements of the evolution of life, led to the almost completely closed (to the Anthropocene) self-sustaining biosphere cycling of substance and energy, the growth of "sum of life" and evolve the social form of matter from biological one. The proposed view of the multidimensional picture of life on Earth consists of the determination of necessary and sufficient properties of a life matter, formulate functioning principles of the life, and determind of the different levels of organization of life. Among the main features of living: discreetness, integritiness, self-reproducibility, dissymmetriness, cooperativeness, mortality, orderness, energy saturation, informational content. Among the main principles of the functioning of the life: the unity of the biological structure (phenotype) and the program for its construction (genotype), transmitted in generations; matrix way of transmission of the programs of development; spontaneity and non-directional changes of the development programs; securing successful changes by natural selection; geometrical progression of reproduction as a “spring” of life. There are four basic levels of organization of life: molecular-genetics, ontogenetics, species-populational, ecosystemic. Among the main features of the evolution of the biosphere: spreading of life on the planet; the uprising of the biosphere’ turnover of matters on the basis of the use of solar energy; increasing of the closeness of this turnover; strengthening the energy flow through the biosphere; the increase in mass of organic matter involved in this cycle; the emergence of the genetic code; the emergence of eukaryotes; increasing of the structural and functional diversity of the biosphere. Among the major achievements of evolution in the plant world: improving the chemical mechanisms of photosynthesis, plants access to land (the appearance of vascular and root systems); the growth of the photosynthetic capacity of terrestrial plant communities.
Authors and Affiliations
Alexej Yablokov, Vladimir Levchenko, Anatolij Kerzhentsev
Keywords
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