Structure and composition of the biosphere. Distribution of living matter

The structure of the biosphere. Ecosystem pollution. Conducting an environmental assessment

1 What is the biosphere, what components does it consist of? Scheme of distribution of living organisms in the biosphere

The biosphere is a set of parts of the earth’s shell (litho-, hydro- and atmosphere), which is populated by living organisms, is under their influence and is occupied by the products of their vital activity. The term "biosphere" was coined by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in 1875. Vernadsky made a great contribution to the development of the doctrine of the biosphere.

The biosphere consists of living, or biotic, and nonliving, or abiotic, components. The biotic component is the entire set of living organisms (according to Vernadsky - “living matter”). Abiotic component- a combination of energy, water, certain chemical elements and other inorganic conditions in which living organisms exist.

Rice. 1. Distribution of living organisms in the biosphere

Living nature is the main feature of the manifestation of the biosphere; it sharply distinguishes it from other earthly shells. The structure of the biosphere is primarily and most characterized by life. This most powerful geological force, the living matter of the planet, is a collection of very fragile and delicate living organisms, whose mass constitutes an insignificant part of the biosphere they created.

If living matter is evenly distributed over the surface of our planet, it will cover it with a layer only 2 cm thick.

The chemical composition of the elements of the living matter of our planet is characterized by the predominance of a few elements: hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen are the main elements of the earth's living matter and are therefore called biophilic. Their atoms create complex molecules in living organisms in combination with water and mineral salts.

The living substances of our planet exist in the form of a huge variety of organisms with their own individual characteristics, of various shapes and sizes. Among living organisms there are the smallest microorganisms and multicellular animals and plants large sizes. Sizes range from micrometers (small bacteria, ciliates) to tens of meters.

The population of the biosphere is also extremely diverse in species and morphology. Calculations of the number of species inhabiting our planet have been carried out by various authors, but they can still be considered only approximate.

According to modern estimates, there are about 3 million species of organisms on Earth, of which plants account for 500 thousand species, and animals account for 2.5 million species. All organic world Since the time of Aristotle, our planet has traditionally been divided into plants and animals. Currently, thanks to the study of the structure of the organization of living beings, it is possible to carry out a more advanced classification than was previously possible.

Living matter, according to V.I. Vernadsky, "spreads over earth's surface and exerts a certain pressure on the environment, bypasses obstacles that impede its progress, or takes possession of them, covers them.” Internal energy, produced by life, manifests itself in the transfer of chemical elements and in the creation of new bodies from them. According to V.I. Vernadsky, the geochemical energy of life is expressed in the movement of living organisms through reproduction, which occurs continuously in the biosphere. The reproduction of organisms produces the “pressure of life,” or the “pressure of life.” In this regard, a struggle arises between organisms for space, food, and especially “for gas,” the free oxygen needed for breathing.

In this case, biogenic migration of atoms occurs: atoms captured by plants pass to herbivores, then to predators that feed on herbivores. Dead plants and animals serve as food for microorganisms, and those released by microorganisms as a result of their vital activity minerals again consumed by plants. From this biological cycle only a small percentage of atoms fall out. Those who came from life process biogenic atoms fall into inert (nonliving) nature, thereby playing a huge role in the history of the biosphere.

The reproduction process stops only when there is a lack of oxygen in the environment, action low temperatures and lack of habitat for new organisms.

IN AND. Vernadsky calculated the time required for various organisms to “capture” the surface of the planet.

Thus, he concluded that small organisms reproduce faster than large ones, and domestic animals reproduce faster than wild ones.

Adaptation of organisms to environmental factors. Functions of living matter in the biosphere. Formation of environmental consciousness

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Analysis of the ecological state of the Tomsk region and assessment of environmental risk parameters

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Biosphere and its properties. Consequences greenhouse effect

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The Red Book of Russia

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Fundamentals of environmental economics

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Assessment of the degree of wastewater pollution

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The concept of state forest management

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Man as a biological and social organism of nature

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Environmental law

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Ecology of the ecosystem of the Eurasian Steppes

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Ecosystems

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Question 1. What is the total biomass of living matter on Earth?
The amount of living matter of organisms per unit area or volume, expressed in units of mass, is called biomass. This means that the entire amount of living matter entering the biosphere constitutes the biomass of living matter on Earth. The total mass of living organisms is estimated at 2.43 10 12 tons. The mass of living matter is about 0.01-0.02% of the inert matter of the biosphere, but living beings play a leading role in geochemical processes on Earth. The activity of living organisms is the basis for the circulation of substances in nature. The annual production of living matter in the biosphere is about 232 billion tons of dry matter. organic matter. During the same time, on a planetary scale, 46 billion tons of organic carbon are synthesized in the process of photosynthesis. This requires that 170 10 9 t carbon dioxide reacted with 68 10 9 tons of water. Thus, as a result of photosynthesis, 115 x 10 9 tons of dry organic matter and 123 x 10 9 tons of oxygen are produced annually. During the year, the process of photosynthesis also involves 6 10 9 tons of nitrogen, 2 10 9 tons of phosphorus and other elements, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and iron. It is constantly transformed and decomposed, supplying substances and energy necessary for the metabolism of all living organisms. The given figures show that living matter is the most active component of the biosphere. It produces gigantic geochemical work, contributing to the transformation of other shells of the Earth on a geological time scale. Organisms that make up biomass have the ability to reproduce - multiply and spread throughout the planet.

Question 2. Describe the distribution of living organisms on land.
Living organisms within the biosphere are distributed very unevenly. Currently, about 300 thousand plant species and more than 1.5 million animal species have been described. Of this amount, 93% are represented by land animals, and 7% by aquatic animal species. The total biomass of organisms of land species is formed 99.2% by green plants (2.4 10 12 tons) and 0.8% by animals and microorganisms (0.2 10 11 tons). At high altitudes and in the depths of the hydrosphere and lithosphere, organisms are relatively rare. Life is concentrated mainly on the surface of the Earth, in the soil and the surface layer of the ocean. In addition, there is a zonal distribution of plants and animals. Moreover, the highest population density is observed in the tropical and subtropical zones. Life is concentrated mainly on land, with 99.2% being green plants and 0.8% animals and microorganisms. In contrast, in the ocean, plants account for 6.3%, and animals and microorganisms account for 93.7% of the total biomass.

Question 3. What does the concept of “species composition” of the biosphere mean?
The species composition of the biosphere refers to the number of species of living organisms belonging to different systematic groups of all kingdoms of living nature. Currently, about 300 thousand plant species and more than 1.5 million animal species have been described.

Question 4. Representatives of which systematic groups of animals predominate on land?
Among animals, 96% of species are invertebrates and only 4% are vertebrates, of which mammals make up approximately 10%. The above ratios illustrate the fundamental pattern of organization of the biosphere: in quantitative terms, forms that have achieved relatively low degrees of morphophysiological progress in the process of evolution predominate.
Question 5: How do vertebrates contribute to ocean biomass?
In the ocean, plants account for 6.3% (0.2 10 9 t), and animals and microorganisms account for 93.7% (0.3 10 10 t) of the total biomass.
Among the animals that inhabit the planet Earth, an immeasurably small proportion of species are vertebrates (mainly fish and mammals); accordingly, an immeasurably small proportion of the biomass of the World Ocean is accounted for by vertebrates.

What is the biosphere, what components does it consist of? Scheme of distribution of living organisms in the biosphere

The biosphere consists of living, or biotic, and nonliving, or abiotic, components. The biotic component is the entire set of living organisms (according to Vernadsky - “living matter”). An abiotic component is a combination of energy, water, certain chemical elements and other inorganic conditions in which living organisms exist.

Rice. 1.

If living matter is evenly distributed over the surface of our planet, it will cover it with a layer only 2 cm thick.

The living substances of our planet exist in the form of a huge variety of organisms with their own individual characteristics, of various shapes and sizes. Among living organisms there are the smallest microorganisms and large multicellular animals and plants. Sizes range from micrometers (small bacteria, ciliates) to tens of meters.

According to modern estimates, there are about 3 million species of organisms on Earth, of which plants account for 500 thousand species, and animals account for 2.5 million species. Since the time of Aristotle, the entire organic world of our planet has traditionally been divided into plants and animals. Currently, thanks to the study of the structure of the organization of living beings, it is possible to carry out a more advanced classification than was previously possible.

Living matter, according to V.I. Vernadsky, “spreads over the earth’s surface and exerts a certain pressure on the environment, bypasses obstacles that impede its progress, or takes possession of them, covers them.” The internal energy produced by life manifests itself in the transfer of chemical elements and in the creation of new bodies from them. According to V.I. Vernadsky, the geochemical energy of life is expressed in the movement of living organisms through reproduction, which occurs continuously in the biosphere. The reproduction of organisms produces the “pressure of life,” or the “pressure of life.” In this regard, a struggle arises between organisms for space, food, and especially “for gas,” the free oxygen needed for breathing.

In this case, biogenic migration of atoms occurs: atoms captured by plants pass to herbivores, then to predators that feed on herbivores. Dead plants and animals serve as food for microorganisms, and the minerals released by microorganisms as a result of their vital activity are again consumed by plants. Only a small percentage of atoms fall out of this biological cycle. These biogenic atoms released from the life process end up in inert (non-living) nature, thereby playing a huge role in the history of the biosphere.

The reproduction process stops only when there is a lack of oxygen in the environment, low temperatures and a lack of habitat for new organisms.

IN AND. Vernadsky calculated the time required for various organisms to “capture” the surface of the planet.

Thus, he concluded that small organisms reproduce faster than large ones, and domestic animals reproduce faster than wild ones.

You already know that living matter is unevenly distributed. Its distribution follows certain patterns.

Distribution of living organisms in the ocean

The variety of living conditions varies depending on geographical latitude and depth. This determines the uneven distribution of living organisms. The number of species of organisms decreases from the equator to the poles, and their mass, on the contrary, increases. IN surface waters The ocean, where there is a lot of light and oxygen, is home to more organisms than at depth.

Aquatic organisms are divided into nekton, benthos and plankton. Nekton (from the Greek word nektos - floating) are animals that actively swim in the water column (fish, krill). Benthos (from the Greek word benthos - depth) - organisms that live on the bottom of seas and oceans (sponges, corals). Plankton (from the Greek word planktos - wandering) - small organisms that inhabit top part water column and moving with the water current. These are microscopic algae, crustaceans, and fish fry. Planktonic animals are called zooplankton, plants are called phytoplankton. Of the total mass of living organisms in the Ocean, plankton makes up 70%. It serves as the main food for many marine animals.

Distribution of living organisms on land

On the plains, the number of animal and plant species increases from the poles to the equator. The exception is tropical deserts with a small variety of living organisms and mass of living matter. Depending on the geographic latitude, the composition of the organic world also changes. Along the equator there are moist equatorial forests - areas with the most large mass living matter. Ice deserts formed around the poles - areas with minimum weight living matter.

Natural conditions affecting the organic world of land also change in the direction from the ocean coasts to the interior of the continents. For example, moist sea air comes to Eurasia, so in Europe they grow broadleaf forests. At the same latitude, with distance from the ocean and decreased precipitation, forests give way to steppes and even deserts.

Shift natural conditions the plains are disturbed by mountains. It gets colder with altitude, so the composition of the animal world changes from the foot of the mountains to the peaks. The number of communities of living organisms in the mountains depends on geographical location mountains, their heights and the location of the slopes in relation to