Eukaryotes role in the biosphere. Summary: Participation of prokaryotes in the sulfur cycle
Answer from Cat[guru]
Prokaryotes carry out photosynthesis differently than plants. Bacteria use the pigment bacteriochlorin in this process.
and do not release oxygen into the environment. Photoautotrophic archaebacteria carry out photosynthesis with the help of bacteriorhodopsin, and cyanobacteria, in addition to chlorophyll, additionally have two other pigments: phycocyanin and phycoerythrin. These facts show that nature has provided several pigments for the implementation of the synthesis of primary organic matter, which significantly expand the spectral composition of the radiation available for photosynthesis. Chemosynthesis is very common among prokaryotes. In addition, among bacterial organisms there are nitrogen-fixing forms: this is the only group of living organisms on our planet that are able to assimilate nitrogen directly from atmospheric air and thus involve molecular nitrogen in the biological cycle.
Bacteria and blue-greens include up to 90% of all nitrogen included in the biogenic cycle in the composition of organic matter; the remaining 10% of the nitrogen is bound by lightning electrical discharges. It follows from the foregoing that the most important function of prokaryotes in the biosphere is the involvement in the circulation of elements from inert (non-living) nature.
At the same time, prokaryotes also have another important function, directly opposite to the first one: the return inorganic substances into the environment by destruction (mineralization) organic compounds. Heterotrophic bacteria function not only in soil and water, but also in the intestines of many animals, where they intensively affect the conversion of complex carbohydrate compounds into simpler forms.
At the level of the biosphere as a whole, prokaryotes, primarily bacteria, have another very important function - concentration. Studies have shown that microorganisms are able to actively extract from environment certain elements even at extremely low concentrations. For example, in the waste products of some microorganisms, the content of iron, vanadium, manganese and a number of others is hundreds of times higher than in their environment. The activity of bacteria actually created natural deposits of these elements.
The properties and functions of prokaryotes are so diverse that, in principle, they are able to create stable functioning characteristic (that is, only with their participation) ecosystems. Not without reason, in the history of life on Earth for almost 2 billion years, it was represented by prokaryotes. "It was cyanobacteria that first populated Bikini Atoll after nuclear explosion and the island of Surrey, which arose in 1963 as a result of the eruption of an underwater volcano south of Iceland. High resistance to external influences (a number of species of prokaryotes withstand temperatures above 100 ° C, an acidic environment with a pH of about 1, salinity with a content of 20-30% NaCl halite in solution) turns this group into representatives of living matter in the most extreme conditions "(Shilov I A., 2000, p. 56)
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Answer from Cat[guru]
Prokaryotes carry out photosynthesis differently than plants. Bacteria use the pigment bacteriochlorin in this process.
and do not release oxygen into the environment. Photoautotrophic archaebacteria carry out photosynthesis with the help of bacteriorhodopsin, and cyanobacteria, in addition to chlorophyll, additionally have two other pigments: phycocyanin and phycoerythrin. These facts show that nature has provided several pigments for the implementation of the synthesis of primary organic matter, which significantly expand the spectral composition of the radiation available for photosynthesis. Chemosynthesis is very common among prokaryotes. In addition, among bacterial organisms there are nitrogen-fixing forms: this is the only group of living organisms on our planet that are able to assimilate nitrogen directly from atmospheric air and thus involve molecular nitrogen in the biological cycle.
Bacteria and blue-greens include up to 90% of all nitrogen included in the biogenic cycle in the composition of organic matter; the remaining 10% of the nitrogen is bound by lightning electrical discharges. It follows from the foregoing that the most important function of prokaryotes in the biosphere is the involvement in the circulation of elements from inert (non-living) nature.
At the same time, prokaryotes also have another important function, directly opposite to the first one: the return of inorganic substances to the environment through the destruction (mineralization) of organic compounds. Heterotrophic bacteria function not only in soil and water, but also in the intestines of many animals, where they intensively affect the conversion of complex carbohydrate compounds into simpler forms.
At the level of the biosphere as a whole, prokaryotes, primarily bacteria, have another very important function - concentration. Research has established that microorganisms are able to actively extract certain elements from the environment even at extremely low concentrations. For example, in the waste products of some microorganisms, the content of iron, vanadium, manganese and a number of others is hundreds of times higher than in their environment. The activity of bacteria actually created natural deposits of these elements.
The properties and functions of prokaryotes are so diverse that, in principle, they are able to create stable functioning characteristic (that is, only with their participation) ecosystems. Not without reason, in the history of life on Earth for almost 2 billion years, it was represented by prokaryotes. "It was cyanobacteria that first populated the Bikini Atoll after a nuclear explosion and the island of Surrey, which arose in 1963 as a result of the eruption of an underwater volcano south of Iceland. High resistance to external influences (a number of species of prokaryotes withstand temperatures above 100 ° C, an acidic environment with a pH of with a content of 20-30% halite NaCl in solution) turns this group into representatives of living matter under the most extreme conditions "(Shilov I. A., 2000, p. 56)
see more here:
link
Prokaryotes carry out photosynthesis differently than plants. Bacteria use the pigment bacteriochlorin in this process.
and do not release oxygen into the environment. Photoautotrophic archaebacteria carry out photosynthesis with the help of bacteriorhodopsin, and cyanobacteria, in addition to chlorophyll, additionally have two other pigments: phycocyanin and phycoerythrin. These facts show that nature has provided several pigments for the implementation of the synthesis of primary organic matter, which significantly expand the spectral composition of the radiation available for photosynthesis. Chemosynthesis is very common among prokaryotes. In addition, among bacterial organisms there are nitrogen-fixing forms: this is the only group of living organisms on our planet that are able to assimilate nitrogen directly from atmospheric air and thus involve molecular nitrogen in the biological cycle.
Bacteria and blue-greens include up to 90% of all nitrogen included in the biogenic cycle in the composition of organic matter; the remaining 10% of the nitrogen is bound by lightning electrical discharges. It follows from the foregoing that the most important function of prokaryotes in the biosphere is the involvement in the circulation of elements from inert (non-living) nature.
At the same time, prokaryotes also have another important function, directly opposite to the first one: the return of inorganic substances to the environment through the destruction (mineralization) of organic compounds. Heterotrophic bacteria function not only in soil and water, but also in the intestines of many animals, where they intensively affect the conversion of complex carbohydrate compounds into simpler forms.
At the level of the biosphere as a whole, prokaryotes, primarily bacteria, have another very important function - concentration. Research has established that microorganisms are able to actively extract certain elements from the environment even at extremely low concentrations. For example, in the waste products of some microorganisms, the content of iron, vanadium, manganese and a number of others is hundreds of times higher than in their environment. The activity of bacteria actually created natural deposits of these elements.
The properties and functions of prokaryotes are so diverse that, in principle, they are able to create stable functioning characteristic (that is, only with their participation) ecosystems. Not without reason, in the history of life on Earth for almost 2 billion years, it was represented by prokaryotes. "It was cyanobacteria that first populated the Bikini Atoll after a nuclear explosion and the island of Surrey, which arose in 1963 as a result of the eruption of an underwater volcano south of Iceland. High resistance to external influences (a number of species of prokaryotes withstand temperatures above 100 ° C, an acidic environment with a pH of with a content of 20-30% halite NaCl in solution) turns this group into representatives of living matter under the most extreme conditions" (Shilov I.A., 2000, p. 56)
Biosphere- this is the area of distribution of life on Earth as an integral, active and dynamic system that covers the lower part of the atmosphere, almost the entire hydrosphere and the upper part of the lithosphere.
A holistic doctrine of the biosphere and the processes occurring in it was created and developed in the 30s by Acad. IN AND. Vernadsky. The totality of living organisms is “living matter”.
The biosphere arose with the advent of life on Earth.
3.6 - 3.8 billion years - the lifetime of the biosphere.
10 16 kg - the mass of the biosphere
Evolution of the biosphere.
the appearance of protozoan prokaryotic cells;
the appearance of much more highly organized eukaryotic cells;
association of eukaryotic cells with the formation of multicellular organisms, functional differentiation of cells in organisms;
the appearance of organisms with hard skeletons, which opened the way to the formation of higher animals;
the emergence of a developed nervous system in higher animals and the formation of the brain as a center for collecting, processing, storing information and managing, on its basis, the functioning and behavior of organisms;
the formation of the mind as the highest form of brain activity;
formation of a social community of people - carriers of reason.
The pinnacle of the directed development of the biosphere was the appearance in it of man, who opened the era of the formation of mind on Earth. In the history of the Earth there was a period of purely geological evolution, it was replaced by a period of geological and biological evolution, and with the advent of man, a period of psychogenesis opened - spiritual evolution.
The role of organisms in the evolution of the biosphere.
1. cryptozoic
archaean (3.6 - 2.6 billion years ago)
dominance of unicellular (blue-green algae, prokaryotes)
Proterozoic (2.6 billion - 600 million years ago)
lower forms of plants, colonies of organisms, eukaryotes
the emergence of photosynthesis led to the accumulation of free oxygen in water and the atmosphere, due to which the process of aerobic respiration arose and began to develop - one of the foundations of the progressive evolution of living organisms on the Earth.
The emergence of the first living systems
The emergence of the replication mechanism
cell formation (membrane)
The surface layer of water bodies - the origin of life (plankton, bacteria)
2. phanerozoic
2.1 Paleozoic
2.1.1 Cambrian (680 million years ago)
2.1.2 Ordovician (490 million years ago)
prosperity of all departments of algae and marine invertebrates. The most common are trilobites.
2.1.3 Silurian (440 million years ago)
the emergence of plants on land - the appearance of psilophytes. The appearance of the first terrestrial invertebrates; in the seas - the first vertebrates (jawless scutes).
2.1.4 Devonian (400 million years ago)
ferns, the first amphibians - stegocephals.
2.1.5 carbon (350 million years ago)
the heyday of amphibians, the appearance of the first reptiles, the first winged insects, spiders, scorpions.
2.1.6 Permian (280 – 230 million years ago)
2.2 Mesozoic
2.2.1 Triassic (230 million years ago)
2.2.2 Jurassic (190 million years ago)
2.2.3 Cretaceous (65-70 million years ago)
distribution of angiosperms, wide distribution of insects; gradual extinction of reptiles (dinosaurs)
2.3 Cenozoic
2.3.1 Paleogene (60 million years ago)
appearance of parapithecus and driopithecus
2.3.2 Neogene (25 million years ago)
modern families of mammals, dominance of angiosperms
2.3.3 Anthropogenic (2.5 million years ago)
emergence and development of man
Calcareous skeletons of invertebrates formed sedimentary rocks (chalk, limestone). The death of blue-green and red algae contributed to the deposition of calcium. Some species of algae and sponges have contributed to the accumulation of silica. Coal was formed from plant residues, oil - from the plankton of ancient seas and other bodies of water.
In the process of evolution, living organisms became isolated from direct dependence on the environment. The first organisms (bacteria, algae were, as it were, immersed in nutrient medium). Gradually, multicellular organisms appeared, less dependent on changes in the external environment and having their own internal environment. These multicellular organisms have organ systems that regulate life processes. Through nervous system communication between the body and external environment.
Biocenosis. The trees and grasses that form the forest, and the insects living in it, as well as the various fungi, bacteria and algae living in the soil, are all united by the circulation of substances and energy, which is carried out through food and other connections. plant community together with the inhabitants form a biocenosis. Biocenoses have a certain species composition and biomass - the total amount of living organic matter, expressed in units of mass. Biocenoses exist in close connection with the abiotic environment.
population. A natural collection of freely interbreeding individuals of the same species that exist for a long time in a relatively isolated territory is called population. Populations have a complex structure in terms of sex and age, differ in area and number of individuals. The population size can fluctuate sharply over the seasons and years. The population, although it has the potential to increase indefinitely, usually has as many individuals as they can feed on the occupied territory. For example: years fruitful for conifers are characterized by a high number of nutcrackers, squirrels and sables that feed on their seeds.
The main factor determining the unity of a population and its isolation from others is the free interbreeding of individuals. Hence the great similarity of individuals within one population in comparison with individuals of other populations. The isolation of populations is supported by geographical (mountains, rivers, deserts) and biological ( different dates flowering or mating, sexual incompatibility, etc.) isolation. All primary evolutionary processes take place in the population, this is the basic unit of evolution.
The biosphere is a single living organism.
Variety of living organisms. Coevolution is the mutual development of species.
Gradual changes gave way to the sharp disappearance of some species and the flourishing of others.
General trend: from the main "tree of life" the development of a variety of organisms.
The main element is the population (isolation due to physical and biological conditions)
mutual adaptation (symbiosis)
alive organisms:
Producers (plants, fungi) "producers"
Consumers (animals, humans, some plant species) "consumers"
Decomposers (bacteria, fungi) decompose organic matter to inorganic
cycles of organic matter.
6. Circulations of substances are constantly going on in the biosphere. (chem., etc.); energy exchange.
On Earth, 10 12 tons of living matter are produced and destroyed annually. Such an intensive circulation of substances, which created the biosphere and determines its stability and integrity, is associated with the vital activity of the entire biomass of the planet. Unlike dead matter, living matter is capable of accumulating energy, multiplying, and has a tremendous reaction rate.
The last 600 million years, from the beginning Paleozoic era, the nature of the main cycles did not change significantly. There was an accumulation of oxygen, nitrogen fixation, precipitation of calcium, accumulation of phosphorus, etc. Only the rates of these processes changed. The stable state of the biosphere is primarily due to the activity of the living matter itself. Life on Earth is impossible without the circulation of matter.
In preparing this work, materials from the site http://www.studentu.ru were used.
The biosphere of the planet is a single megaorganism, the parts of which are harmoniously interconnected. All the diversity of life is divided into two kingdoms - prokaryotes (pre-nuclear organisms) and eukaryotes (having a nucleus). Superkingdoms are subdivided into living kingdoms:
- viruses;
- bacteria;
- mushrooms;
- plants;
- animals.
The kingdom of bacteria, together with the kingdom of viruses, is combined into the super-kingdom of prokaryotes - non-nuclear organisms. Historically, this is the first echelon of living organisms on the planet.
live unicellular organisms appeared about 3.8 billion years ago. For almost a billion years, they were the only living inhabitants of the planet - they successfully multiplied, developed and adapted. The result of their vital activity was the appearance of free oxygen in the atmosphere of the planet, which allowed the emergence of multicellular organisms - fungi, plants, flowers and animals.
Nowadays, living bacteria live everywhere: from the rarefied atmospheric layers to the deepest ocean trenches, they live in arctic ice and thermal geysers. Bacteria have populated not only free space - they feel great inside other organisms, be it fungi, plants or animals.
In nature, all animals, and man is no exception, are a habitat for microbes that inhabit:
- skin;
- oral cavity;
- intestines.
Researchers have found that the number of cells of microorganisms living in the human body is 10 times higher than the number of its own cells. Despite such high quantitative indicators, the weight of bacteria living in the body does not exceed 2 kg - a significant difference in cell size affects.
Living representatives of the kingdom of bacteria have an innumerable number of species, but the common thing for all of them is:
- lack of a pronounced nucleus;
- very small (compared to plant and animal cells) cell sizes;
- the biological unit is the cell itself, in case of their association we are talking about a bacterial colony.
It was representatives of the kingdom of bacteria that made possible the appearance of fungi, plants and animals. Having appeared on the planet, microorganisms not only adapted to the existing conditions - they actively changed their habitat, creating qualitatively new characteristics.
The cycle of nitrogen and carbon in nature occurs exclusively due to microorganisms. Scientists have found that if microbes are removed from the biosphere, life on the planet will not be able to survive.
The role of prokaryotes in biospheric cycles
At the origin of life on the planet, representatives of the kingdom of bacteria actively participated in the formation of the biosphere. The modern biosphere needs microorganisms to maintain the level of functioning - the cycle of energy and matter in nature is provided by microbes.
Examples of the dominant role of living microbes in biospheric processes are the creation and maintenance of a fertile soil layer.
In addition to gas and oxidizing functions, the geochemical functions of microorganisms are becoming increasingly important. Enzymatic activity and concentration functions have a significant impact on the geochemistry of the planet.
Species diversity of microorganisms
Representatives of the kingdom of bacteria inhabited all levels of the biosphere, and by the presence of microbes they determine the upper and lower boundaries of the planet's biosphere. Living in environments so different in physical parameters, microbes differ in a number of ways.
- According to the shape of a living bacterial cell:
- spherical cocci;
- rod-shaped;
- convoluted, subdivided into vibrios and spirochetes.
- According to the way the body moves in space:
- without flagella (chaotic movement similar to Brownian);
- with the help of flagella (the number varies from one to many around the entire perimeter).
- According to the peculiarities of the metabolism of representatives of the kingdom of bacteria:
- synthesis of necessary substances from inorganic matter - autotrophs;
- processing of organic matter - heterotrophs.
- By way of obtaining energy:
- respiration (aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms);
- fermentation;
- photosynthesis (oxygen-free and oxygen).
Features of the relationship between microbes and viruses - representatives of the kingdoms of the same name
The superkingdom of prokaryotes combines two kingdoms - bacteria and viruses, which have much more differences than common features. For example, if bacteria synthesize all the substances necessary for life support, then viruses are generally not capable of protein synthesis. They cannot even reproduce their own kind on their own, but only by infiltrating someone else's cell.
Viruses block the DNA of the host cell and replace it with their own - as a result, the captured cell produces copies of the invading virus, which usually leads to its death.