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The process is characteristic of living matter. Inorganic substances and their role in living matter. Chemical properties of living matter

The concept of organic or inorganic matter becomes too small and the concept is introduced to replace it. living matter of the biosphere.

At the beginning of the 20th century, V.I. Vernadsky defined this concept.

Living matter — the whole set of bodies of living organisms in, regardless of their systematic affiliation.

The definition did not come about because of scale.

The mass of living matter is relatively small and is estimated at 2.4-3.6·10 12 tons (in dry weight) and is less than 10 −6 masses of other shells of the Earth. But it is one of "the most powerful geochemical forces on our planet."

The main properties of the living matter of the biosphere

The ability to quickly master free space. it associated with ability to reproduce especially in the simplest organisms, and with the fact that many organisms significantly increase the surface of the body during growth (plants, for example, or the area of the community).
Active and passive movement.Active movement of the living matter of the biosphere- independent movement of organisms, requiring energy expenditure: fish can swim against the current, birds fly, overcoming gravity, etc. Passive movement of the living matter of the biosphere- movement that does not require energy expenditure - under the influence of natural forces - gravity, gravity, etc.
The stability of living matter(organisms) during life and rapid decomposition(due to the action of decomposers) after death.
If we talk about chemical elements, then it is precisely due to this property of living matter that they participate in various -, etc.
A high degree of adaptation of the living matter of the biosphere to environmental conditions. The fact that living organisms have mastered all 3 environments - terrestrial, water and air, no longer surprises anyone. In addition, there are microorganisms that can withstand both high and very low temperatures.
High bio rate chemical reactions living substance. Indeed, the rate of reactions in living organisms is no more than a few minutes, the rate of carbon cycle is several years (no more than 10).
Vernadsky believed that sedimentary rocks were formed mainly by the products of the vital activity of living organisms. And this layer is about 3 km thick!

High rate of renewal of living matter. It is calculated that on average for the biosphere it is 8 years, while for land it is 14 years, and for the ocean, where organisms with a short life span (for example, plankton) predominate, it is 33 days. As a result of the high rate of renewal throughout the history of life, the total mass of living matter that has passed through the biosphere is about 12 times the mass of the Earth. Only a small part of it (a fraction of a percent) is conserved in the form of organic remains (according to V. I. Vernadsky, “went into geology”), the rest was included in the cycle processes.

Functions of the living matter of the biosphere

energy function
Producers consume solar energy, converting not organic matter into organic, decomposers decompose organic substances to inorganic. Part of the energy in the process is converted into heat.
concentration of living matter
As a result of the vital activity of organisms, certain substances accumulate.
destructive
It's a consequence energy function- organic matter decomposes as a result of the circulation of substances and passes into a mineral (inorganic) form.
Environment-forming function of living matter
Living matter changes, transforms the environment.
Transport
Food interactions of living matter lead to the movement of huge masses chemical elements and substances against gravity and in the horizontal direction.

Biosphere and its structure

The scientist proposed to call the biosphere the entire area of the living and non-living, which is in close contact and, as a result of joint activity, contributes to the formation of certain geochemical components of nature.

That is, the biosphere includes the following structural parts of the Earth:

the lower part of the atmosphere to the ozone layer;
the entire hydrosphere;
the upper level of the lithosphere is the soil and the layers below, up to and including groundwater.

That is, these are all those areas that are capable of being inhabited by living organisms. All of them, in turn, represent the total biomass, which is called the living matter of the biosphere. This includes representatives of all the kingdoms of nature, as well as man. The properties and functions of living matter are decisive in characterizing the biosphere as a whole, since it is it that is its main component.

However, in addition to the living, there are several more types of substances that make up the shell of the Earth we are considering. These are such as:

biogenic;
inert;
bio-inert;
radioactive;
space;
free atoms and elements.

Together, these types of compounds form the environment for biomass, the living conditions for it. At the same time, representatives of the kingdoms of nature themselves have a considerable influence on the formation of many types of these substances.

On the whole, all the indicated components of the biosphere are the total mass of elements that compose nature. It is they who enter into close interactions, carrying out the cycle of energy, substances, accumulating and processing many compounds. The basic unit is living matter. The functions of living matter are different, but all are very important and necessary to maintain the natural state of the planet.

Founder of the doctrine of the biosphere

The one who created the concept of "biosphere", developed it, structured it and fully revealed it, possessed extraordinary thinking, the ability to analyze and compare facts and data and make logical conclusions. In his time, V. I. Vernadsky became such a person. great person, naturalist, academician and scientist, founder of many schools. His works became the basic foundation on which all theories are built until now.

He is the creator of all biogeochemistry. His merit is the creation of the mineral resource base of Russia (then the USSR). His students were famous in the future Russian scientists and Ukraine.

Vernadsky's predictions about the dominant position of people in the system of the organic world and that the biosphere is evolving into the noosphere have every reason to come true.

Living substance. Functions of the living matter of the biosphere

As we have already indicated above, the whole set of organisms belonging to all the kingdoms of nature is considered to be living matter. Human beings occupy a special position among all. The reasons for this were:

consumer position, not production;
development of mind and consciousness.

All other representatives are living matter. The functions of living matter were developed and indicated by Vernadsky. He assigned the following role to organisms:

Redox.
Destructive.
Transport.
Environment-forming.
Gas.
Energy.
Informational.
concentration.

The most basic functions of the living matter of the biosphere are gas, energy and redox. However, the rest are also important, providing complex processes of interaction between all parts and elements of the living shell of the planet.

Let's consider each of the functions in more detail to understand what exactly is meant and what is the essence.

Redox function of living matter

It manifests itself in numerous biochemical transformations of substances within each living organism. After all, in everyone, from bacteria to large mammals, there are every second reactions. As a result, some substances turn into others, some break down into constituent parts.

The result of such processes for the biosphere is the formation of biogenic matter. What connections can be cited?

Carbonate rocks (chalk, marble, limestones) are a waste product of mollusks and many other marine and terrestrial inhabitants.
Deposits of silicon rocks are the result of centuries of reactions occurring in the shells and shells of animals on the ocean floor.
Coal and peat are the result of biochemical transformations that occur with plants.
Oil and others.

Therefore, chemical reactions are the basis for the creation of many useful to man and nature of substances. This is the function of living matter in the biosphere.

concentration function

If we talk about the disclosure of the concept of this role of a substance, then we should point out its close relationship with the previous one. Simply put, the concentration function of living matter is the accumulation inside the body of certain elements, atoms, compounds. As a result, the formation of those rocks, minerals and minerals mentioned above.

Each being is capable of accumulating some compounds in itself. However, the severity of this is different for everyone. For example, everyone accumulates carbon in themselves. But not every organism is able to concentrate about 20% of iron, as iron bacteria do.

Several more examples can be given to clearly illustrate this function living substance.

Diatoms, radiolarians - silicon.
- manganese.
Swollen lobelia plant - chrome.
Solyanka plant - boron.

In addition to elements, many representatives of living beings are capable of forming whole complexes of substances after dying off.

Gas function of matter

This role is one of the most important. After all, gas exchange is a life-forming process for all beings. If we talk about the biosphere as a whole, then the gas function of living matter begins with the activity of plants, which capture carbon dioxide and release a sufficient amount of oxygen.

Sufficient for what? For the life of all those beings who are not capable of producing it on their own. And these are all animals, fungi, most bacteria. If we talk about the gas function of animals, then it consists in the consumption of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide into the environment during respiration.

This creates a general cycle that underlies life. Scientists have proven that over many millennia, plants and other living beings have managed to completely modernize and adjust the atmosphere of the planet for themselves. The following happened:

oxygen concentration became sufficient for life;
formed which protects all living things from destructive cosmic and ultraviolet radiation;
the composition of the air has become what is needed for most creatures.

Therefore, the gas function of the living matter of the biosphere is considered one of the most important.

transport function

It implies the reproduction and resettlement of organisms in different territories. There are certain environmental laws, which govern the basics of the distribution and transportation of beings. According to them, each individual occupies its own habitat. There are also competitive relationships that lead to the settlement and development of new territories.

Thus, the functions of living matter in the biosphere are reproduction and resettlement, followed by the formation of new features.

Destructive role

This is another important function that is characteristic of living creatures of the biosphere. It lies in the ability to break up into simple substances after dying, that is, stopping life cycle. While the organism lives, complex molecules are active in it. When death occurs, the processes of destructuring, disintegration into simple constituent parts, begin.

This is carried out by a special group of creatures called detritophages or decomposers. These include:

some worms;
bacteria;
fungi;
simple and others.

Environment-forming function

The main functions of living matter would be incomplete if we did not indicate the formation of environments. What does it mean? We have already pointed out that living beings in the process of evolution have created an atmosphere for themselves. They did the same with environment.

Loosening and saturating the earth with mineral compounds, organic matter, they created for themselves a habitable fertile layer- soil. The same can be said about chemical composition waters of the oceans and seas. That is, living beings independently form the environment of life for themselves. This is where their environment-forming function in the biosphere is manifested.

Informational role of living matter

This role is characteristic of living organisms, and the more highly it is developed, the big role performs as a carrier and processor of information. No one inanimate object not able to remember, "record" on the subconscious and reproduce in the future information of any kind. Only living beings can do this.

It is not only about the ability to speak and think. The information function implies the phenomenon of preserving and transmitting certain sets of knowledge and traits by inheritance.

energy function

Energy is the most main source the force by which living matter exists. The functions of living matter are manifested primarily in the ability to process the energy of the biosphere into different forms from solar to thermal and electric.

No one else can accumulate and change the radiation from the Sun like that. The first link here is, of course, plants. They are the ones who absorb sunlight directly the entire surface of the greens then convert it into energy chemical bonds accessible to animals. The latter translate it into different forms:

thermal;
electrical;
mechanical and others.

Living matter of the biosphere, its characteristics

V.I.Vernadsky wrote: “There is no chemical force on the earth’s surface that is more constantly acting, and therefore more powerful in its final consequences, than living organisms taken together.”

The doctrine of living matter is one of the central links in the concept of the biosphere. Exploring the processes of migration of atoms in the biosphere, V.I. Vernadsky approached the question of the genesis (origin, occurrence) of chemical elements in the earth's crust, and after that, the need to explain the stability of the compounds that make up organisms. Analyzing the problem of atomic migration, he came to the conclusion that “nowhere exist organic compounds independent of living matter. “Under the name of living matter,” wrote V. I. Vernadsky in 1919, “I will mean the totality of all organisms, vegetation and animals, including man. From a geochemical point of view, this set of organisms is significant only by the mass of matter that makes it up, its chemical composition, and the energy associated with it. Obviously, it is only from this point of view that living matter is important for the soil, since, since we are dealing with soil chemistry, we are dealing with a particular manifestation of general geochemical processes.

Thus, living matter is the totality of living organisms of the biosphere, numerically expressed in elemental chemical composition, mass and energy.

reasons. First, humanity is not a producer, but a consumer of biogeochemical energy. Such a thesis required a revision of the geochemical functions of living matter in the biosphere. Secondly, the mass of humanity, based on demographic data, is not a constant amount of living matter. And thirdly, its geochemical functions are characterized not by mass, but by production activity. The nature of the assimilation of biogeochemical energy by humanity is determined by the human mind. On the one hand, man is the culmination of unconscious evolution, the "product" of the spontaneous activity of nature, and on the other hand, the initiator of a new, reasonably directed stage of evolution itself.

What are the characteristics of living matter? First of all, this huge free energy . During the evolution of species, the biogenic migration of atoms, i.e. the energy of the living matter of the biosphere has increased many times over, and continues to grow, because the living matter processes energy solar radiation, atomic energy of radioactive decay and space energy scattered elements coming from our Galaxy. Living matter also has high rate of chemical reactions compared with inanimate matter, where similar processes are thousands and millions of times slower. For example, some caterpillars per day can process food 200 times more than they weigh themselves, and one tit eats as many caterpillars per day as it weighs itself.

Living matter is characterized by composing it chemical compounds, the most important of which are proteins, are stable only in living organisms . After the completion of the life process, the original living organic substances decompose to chemical constituents.

Living matter exists on the planet in the form of a continuous alternation of generations, thanks to which, newly formed, it is genetically related to the living matter of past eras. This is the main structural unit of the biosphere, which determines all other surface processes. earth's crust. Living matter is characterized the presence of an evolutionary process . The genetic information of any organism is encrypted in each of its cells. At the same time, these cells are originally destined to be themselves, with the exception of the egg, from which the whole organism develops.

V.I. Vernadsky noted that the living organisms of the planet are the most constantly acting and powerful chemical force in terms of its final consequences. He pointed out that living matter is inseparable from the biosphere, is its function and at the same time "one of the most powerful geochemical forces of our planet." V.I.Vernadsky called the circulation of individual substances biogeochemical cycles. These cycles and circulation provide the most important functions of living matter as a whole. The scientist identified five such functions.

gas function. Carried out by green plants that release oxygen during photosynthesis, as well as by all plants and animals that release carbon dioxide as a result of breathing. There is also a cycle of nitrogen associated with the activity of microorganisms. V.I.Vernadsky wrote that all gases formed in the biosphere are closely related by their origin to living matter, are always biogenic and change mainly in a biogenic way.

concentration function. It manifests itself in the ability of living organisms to accumulate many chemical elements in their bodies (carbon is in the first place, calcium is among metals). The ability to concentrate elements from dilute solutions - salient feature living substance. For example, marine organisms actively accumulate trace elements, heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic), and radioactive elements.

V.I. Vernadsky distinguished:

1. Concentration functions of the first kind, when living matter concentrates from the environment those chemical elements that are contained in all organisms without exception (H, C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe).

2. Concentration functions of the second kind, when there is an accumulation of chemical elements that are not found in living organisms, or can be found in very small quantities. For example, holothurians are able to accumulate vanadium. earthworms can accumulate zinc, copper, lead and cadmium in their tissues. Algae of the genus Laminaria accumulate iodine in themselves.

redox function. It is expressed in the chemical transformations of substances in the process of vital activity of organisms. As a result, salts, oxides, and new substances are formed. This function is associated with the formation of iron and manganese ores, limestones, etc.

biochemical function. It is defined as reproduction, growth and movement in space of living matter. All this leads to the circulation of chemical elements in nature, their biogenic migration.

V.I.Vernadsky singled out the 1st biochemical function, which is associated with nutrition, respiration and reproduction of organisms, and the 2nd biochemical function, which is associated with the destruction of the bodies of living organisms after their death. In this case, a number of biochemical transformations occur: living body- bio-inert - inert.

The function of human biogeochemical activity. Associated with the biogenic migration of atoms, which increases many times under the influence of economic activity man and his mind. A person in the course of his economic activity develops and uses for his needs a large number of substances of the earth's crust, incl. such as coal, gas, oil, peat, shale, many ores. At the same time, an anthropogenic entry into the biosphere of foreign substances occurs in quantities exceeding the permissible value. This led to a crisis confrontation between man and nature. main reason impending ecological crisis It is considered a technocratic concept that considers the biosphere, on the one hand, as a source of physical resources, on the other hand, as a sewer for waste disposal.

Currently world economy emitted annually into the atmosphere

 more than 250 million tons of fine aerosols,

 200 million tons of carbon monoxide,

 150 million tons of sulfur dioxide,

 120 million tons of ash,

 more than 50 million tons of hydrocarbons,

 2.5 billion (!) tons of nitrogen oxides.

The natural circulation of atoms in the atmosphere simply does not keep pace with man-made emissions. Only by burning coal in power plants tens of times more arsenic, uranium, cadmium, beryllium enters the environment, and thousands of times more mercury than is involved in the natural biochemical cycle.

IN AND. Vernadsky classified living matter into homogeneous and heterogeneous . The first in his view is a generic, specific substance, etc., and the second is represented by natural mixtures of living substances. This is a forest, a swamp, a steppe, i.e. biocenosis. The scientist proposed to characterize living matter on the basis of such quantitative indicators as chemical composition, average weight organisms and the average rate of their settlement of the surface of the globe.

Vernadsky gives average figures for the rate of "transfer of life in the biosphere". The time of capture by this species of the entire surface of our planet in different organisms can be expressed by the following figures (days):

The cholera bacterium Vibrio cholerae) 1,25

Infusoria ( Lekconhrys patula) 10.6 (maximum)

Diatoms ( Nittschia putrida) 16.8 (maximum)

Green plankton 166-183 (average)

Insects ( Musca domestica) 366

Fish ( Pleurette platessa) 2159 (maximum)

flowering plants (Trifolium repens) 4076

Birds (chickens) 5600-6100

Mammals: rats 2800

wild pig 37600

Indian elephant 376000.

Life on our planet exists in non-cellular and cellular forms.

The non-cellular form of living matter is represented by viruses that are devoid of irritability and their own protein synthesis. The simplest viruses consist only of a protein shell and a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule that makes up the core of the virus. Sometimes viruses are isolated into a special kingdom of wildlife - Vira. They can only reproduce inside certain living cells. Viruses are ubiquitous in nature and are a dangerous enemy of all living things. Settling in the cells of living organisms, they cause their death. About 500 viruses have been described that infect warm-blooded vertebrates and about 300 viruses that attack higher plants. More than half of human diseases owe their development to the smallest viruses (they are 100 times smaller than bacteria). It is enough to name a few terrible diseases caused by viruses to realize the threat of these smallest creatures. These are poliomyelitis, smallpox, influenza, infectious hepatitis, yellow fever, etc.

Cellular life forms are represented by prokaryotes (organisms that do not have a membrane-bound nucleus) and eukaryotes (whose cells contain formalized nuclei). Prokaryotes include various bacteria. Eukaryotes are all higher animals and plants, as well as unicellular and multicellular algae, fungi and protozoa.

Parameter name	Meaning
Article subject:	Living matter
Rubric (thematic category)	Ecology

Types of substances that make up the biosphere (according to V.I. Vernadsky)

According to V.I. Vernadsky, the substance of the biosphere consists of:

Living matter - biomass of modern living organisms ;

Biogenic substance - created by life and being a source of extremely powerful potential energy (all forms of detritus, as well as peat, coal, oil and gas of biogenic origin);

Bio-inert substance - formed simultaneously by inert processes and living organisms (mixtures of nutrients with mineral rocks of non-biogenic origin - soil, silts, natural waters, gas and oil shale, tar sands, part of sedimentary carbonates);

Inert substance - formed by processes in which living matter did not take part (rocks, minerals, sediments not affected by the direct biogeochemical impact of organisms).

According to data based on the content of energy or carbon, the amount of living, biogenic and bioinert matter in the biosphere correlates as 1:20:4000.

The entire set of organisms on the planet I.I. Vernadsky called living matter, considering as its basic characteristics total mass, chemical composition and energy.

The law of constancy, formulated by V.I. Vernadsky, says:

The amount of living matter in the biosphere (for a given geological period) is a constant value (constant).

Living matter- ϶ᴛᴏ totality and biomass of living organisms in the biosphere. Vernadsky (1967, p. 241) wrote: ʼʼThere is no chemical force on the earth's surface that is more constantly acting, and therefore more powerful in its final consequences, than living organisms taken as a wholeʼʼ. He first calculated the total mass of the living matter of the biosphere - 1.8 - 2.5 x 10 15 (in dry weight). At the same time, this value turned out to be somewhat overestimated; it was clarified by the studies of N.I. Bazilevich, L.E. Motherland, N.N. Rozova (1971). As can be seen from Table 1, the main part of the land biomass is green plants (99.2%), and in the ocean - animals (93.7%).

Table 1 - Biomass of the Earth's organisms (according to N.I. Bazilevich et al., 1971)

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

The living matter of our planet exists in the form of a huge variety of organisms of various shapes and sizes. Today, there are more than 2 million species of organisms on Earth, of which plants account for about 500 thousand species, and animals account for more than 1.5 million species.

The richest group of organisms on Earth in terms of the number of species is insects, and there are much more of them than other plant and animal species combined (≈ 1,000,000). But there may be more of them, because. most of the insects that live in the tropics have not yet been described.

Among higher plants the most common are angiosperms - flowering, numbering about 250 thousand species.

Strictly speaking, the expression ʼʼliving matterʼʼ is unsuccessful. It is used only in the tradition of Vernadsky's works as an equivalent of two more adequate concepts: living matter = totality of living organisms = biota.

Living matter - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Living substance" 2017, 2018.

The evolution of living matter according to Vernadsky: w Even if the first living organism consisted of one cell, in any case, it needed food. Molecules of hydrocarbons from the silt at the bottom of the shallow sea could serve as a source of nutrition for it. Later, these organisms probably could ... .

- Living matter

Atmosphere According to the chemical composition, the atmosphere is 99.99% represented by four components (in absolutely dry air): Nitrogen N2 - 75.51%; oxygen O2 - 23.15%; argon Ar - 1.28%; · carbon dioxide CO2 - 0.046%. In addition to the listed main components in the composition ....

- The living matter of the planet, its characteristics

Characteristics of living matter

The composition of living matter includes both organic (in the chemical sense) and inorganic, or mineral, substances. Vernadsky wrote:

The mass of living matter is relatively small and is estimated at 2.4-3.6·10 12 tons (in dry weight) and is less than 10 −6 masses of other shells of the Earth. But it is one of "the most powerful geochemical forces on our planet."

Living matter develops where life can exist, that is, at the intersection of the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. In conditions that are not favorable for existence, living matter goes into a state of suspended animation.

The specificity of living matter is as follows:

The living matter of the biosphere is characterized by enormous free energy. In the inorganic world, only short-lived non-solidified lava flows can be compared with living matter in terms of the amount of free energy.
A sharp difference between the living and non-living matter of the biosphere is observed in the rate of chemical reactions: in living matter, reactions occur thousands and millions of times faster.
A distinctive feature of living matter is that the individual chemical compounds that make it up - proteins, enzymes, etc. - are stable only in living organisms (to a large extent this is also characteristic of the mineral compounds that make up living matter).
Arbitrary movement of living matter, largely self-regulating. V. I. Vernadsky singled out two specific forms of movement of living matter: a) passive, which is created by reproduction and is inherent in both animal and plant organisms; b) active, which is carried out due to the directed movement of organisms (it is typical for animals and in lesser degree for plants). Living matter also tends to fill all possible space.
Living matter exhibits a much greater morphological and chemical diversity than inanimate. In addition, unlike inanimate abiogenic matter, living matter is not represented exclusively by a liquid or gas phase. The bodies of organisms are built in all three phase states.
Living matter is represented in the biosphere in the form of dispersed bodies - individual organisms. Moreover, being dispersed, living matter is never found on Earth in a morphologically pure form - in the form of populations of organisms of the same species: it is always represented by biocenoses.
Living matter exists in the form of a continuous alternation of generations, due to which modern living matter is genetically related to the living matter of past eras. At the same time, the existence of an evolutionary process is characteristic of living matter, i.e., the reproduction of living matter occurs not by the type of absolute copying of previous generations, but by morphological and biochemical changes.

The meaning of living matter

The work of living matter in the biosphere is quite diverse. According to Vernadsky, the work of living matter in the biosphere can manifest itself in two main forms:

a) chemical (biochemical) - I kind of geological activity; b) mechanical - II type of transport activity.

Biogenic migration of atoms of the first kind is manifested in the constant exchange of matter between organisms and the environment in the process of building the body of organisms, digesting food. Biogenic migration of atoms of the second kind consists in the movement of matter by organisms during their life (during the construction of holes, nests, when organisms are buried in the ground), the movement of living matter itself, as well as the passage of inorganic substances through gastric tract ground beetles, silt beetles, filter feeders.

To understand the work that living matter does in the biosphere, three main provisions are very important, which V. I. Vernadsky called biogeochemical principles:

Biogenic migration of atoms of chemical elements in the biosphere always tends to its maximum manifestation.
The evolution of species in the course of geological time, leading to the creation of life forms stable in the biosphere, proceeds in a direction that enhances the biogenic migration of atoms.
Living matter is in continuous chemical exchange with the cosmic environment surrounding it, and is created and maintained on our planet by the radiant energy of the Sun.

There are five main functions of living matter:

Energy. It consists in the absorption of solar energy during photosynthesis, and chemical energy - through the decomposition of energy-saturated substances and the transfer of energy through the food chain heterogeneous living matter.
concentration. Selective accumulation during the life of certain types of matter. There are two types of concentrations of chemical elements by living matter: a) a massive increase in the concentrations of elements in a medium saturated with these elements, for example, sulfur and iron are abundant in living matter in areas of volcanism; b) a specific concentration of one or another element, regardless of the medium.
destructive. It consists in the mineralization of non-biogenic organic matter, the decomposition of inanimate inorganic matter, and the involvement of the resulting substances in the biological cycle.
Environment-forming. Transformation of physical and chemical parameters of the medium (mainly due to non-biogenic matter).
Transport. Food interactions of living matter lead to the movement of huge masses of chemical elements and substances against gravity and in a horizontal direction.

Living matter encompasses and restructures all chemical processes in the biosphere. Living matter is the most powerful geological force, growing with the passage of time. Paying tribute to the memory of the great founder of the doctrine of the biosphere, A. I. Perelman proposed to call the following generalization “Vernadsky’s law”:

“The migration of chemical elements on the earth’s surface and in the biosphere as a whole is carried out either with the direct participation of living matter (biogenic migration) or it proceeds in an environment whose geochemical features (O 2, CO 2, H 2 S, etc.) are predominantly are conditioned by living matter as that which currently inhabits this system, and the one that has acted on Earth throughout geological history.

Notes

Literature

On the functions of living matter in the biosphere // Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2003. V. 73. No. 3. S.232-238

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