Cosmic matter of the biosphere

Planet Earth - a unique system, consisting of a number of complex links, constantly developing, interconnected and interdependent. For several centuries, the internal and external structure of the Earth has been an object of interest and close attention of scientists around the world. The discovery of the ecological shell of the planet, or the biosphere, has become a real scientific breakthrough in this field of research. The most important contribution to the resolution of controversial issues and problems was the teaching of the Russian academician Vernadsky about living organisms, the role of living and inanimate matter in the evolution of our world.

Biosphere and inert matter

The biosphere seemed to the Vernadsky unity at first glance diametrically opposed substances - living and "lifeless", i.e. Stagnant. Living matter is made up of living organisms that inhabit the Earth at all its levels. A stagnant substance is something in the formation of which living organisms do not participate. This includes many minerals of inorganic origin, for example, precious stones and metals, deposits of iron and ore, rocks formed by the products of discharges of volcanoes that have been acting and erupting now. At its core such an inert matter of the biosphere has silicon compounds, and they include pumice, granite and others. From the volcanic ash formed tuff - also a rock.

Water, as we know, is the source of life. However, according to Vernadsky, this definition can be attributed to natural water sources - oceans, seas, rivers, lakes. But meltwater or rainwater is an important inert substance.

In addition to living and inert matter, biocosm is also a part of the biosphere - a kind of product of the impact of living organisms on inanimate nature. These are the top layers of soils, the composition and properties of which change as a result of the vital activity of people and animals, the air and water basins of the planet, constantly polluted by man.

Structure of the biosphere

Thus, the Earth's biosphere is called the shell of the planet, containing all the variety of living matter and that part of the planetary substance that constantly interacts with this matter. The biosphere consists of the lower part of the atmosphere, captures the entire hydrosphere, as well as the upper part of the lithosphere. Its boundaries depend on environmental factors, and above all on those that form a favorable environment for the existence of living organisms. The upper lath is at an altitude of about 20 kilometers from the earth's surface. Its boundary is the ozone layer. Its main function is not to miss the ultraviolet rays of the sun, which do not affect the stale matter, but are deadly to the living thing. It follows that for living creatures or organisms harmless can be the troposphere, as well as the lower layers of the stratosphere. The hydrosphere is available for living at a fairly large depth - 10-11 kilometers, i.е. Practically the entire World Ocean is a huge source of life. In the lithosphere, various forms of life are encountered from the surface of the earth to a depth of about three and a half to seven and a half kilometers. It is at these parameters that the necessary ratio of the temperature regime and the presence of soil water in the liquid aggregate state is observed . At a greater depth there is already only an inert substance. And although the mass of living matter in the biosphere in percentage terms is much smaller than the stagnant one, it is the main driving force of geochemical processes on the Earth. The source of the energy necessary for the metabolism, as well as the substances themselves, involved in the life of organisms, was the environment. At the same time, some kinds of living matter are endowed with a reproductive function, a transformative function, a function of decay (decomposition, splitting). Consequently, according to scientists, approximately 10% of biomass in nature is restored, reproduced.

Functional purpose of the biosphere

According to Vernadsky and his followers, the functions of the biosphere are, first, to ensure a constant cycle of chemical elements that circulate between living organisms, the hydrosphere and soil, and the atmosphere. Secondly, the evolution of the biosphere is a vivid example of the close interaction of important factors: the development of the Earth as a cosmic body, the chemical and geological processes within the planet, the biological evolution of living matter and the development of human society.