Biotechnology - Yu.O. Sazykin 2006

General Biotechnology
Ecological Aspects of Biotechnology
The Concept of «Ecology»

Over recent decades, the term “ecology” has been constantly used by the mass media, typically in the context of environmental pollution and other anthropogenic impacts on the biosphere. Consequently, “ecology” has become associated with specific disruptions that need to be prevented.

The term “ecology” was first introduced into scientific literature in the 19th century by the renowned biologist Ernst Haeckel. According to Haeckel, ecology is “the general science of the relations of organisms to the surrounding environment.”

Modern Structure/97.html">Definitions of ecology have become more specific and complex; for example:

“ecology is the science of the interrelationships between living organisms and their non-living environment, of the connections within supraorganismal systems (communities), and of the structure and functioning of these systems;”

“ecology is the science of the interrelationships between organisms and their populations and their habitats; of biocenoses and ecosystems as the product of the interdependent co-evolution of organisms and their environment; and of the self-regulation of ecosystems and their role in the planet's biosphere.”

The second definition is broader and implies human responsibility for activities that alter the environment. In this context, ecology investigates not only present-day patterns but also evolutionary patterns in motion. Furthermore, it raises the question of self-regulation as an intrinsic quality of ecosystems.

As a scientific discipline, ecology can be divided into:

✵ global ecology (with its own regularities as its subject of study);

✵ general ecology;

✵ specific ecology (focusing on a particular group of microorganisms of a specific taxonomic rank).

This discipline is also divided into normal and pathological ecology.

Normal ecology investigates the relationships between organisms and their habitats under natural conditions.

Pathological ecology studies factors caused by anthropogenic activity, as well as their impact on established natural Organism-environment relationships and the future outlook of these relationships.

As is known, the biosphere (the zone of life on our planet) encompasses the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. For humans, the environment is effectively equivalent to the biosphere, but this analogy cannot be extrapolated to All living organisms on Earth. To some extent, human activity has also begun to affect near-Earth space (“space debris”), yet the problems of pathological ecology remain primarily focused on the biosphere, where they are becoming increasingly tangible today&mdashgiving rise to concerns not only about environmental hazards but also about an impending ecological catastrophe.

However, an objective look at the consequences of civilization reveals that the first organisms on the planet were microorganisms that obtained energy via METABOLISM/21.html">Chemosynthesis. Their activity laid the groundwork (both literally and figuratively) for The Emergence of more complex life forms. This resulted in the first global event in the biosphere which, paradoxically, could be termed an ecological catastrophe.

Green plants eventually appeared and truly conquered the planet, leading to a dramatic increase in atmospheric oxygen, which in turn caused the extinction of certain oxygen-sensitive organisms.

This striking example demonstrates how disrupting the balance of the abiotic world inevitably triggers global-scale Changes in the biotic world.

There is no reason to assume that evolution at the present stage of life on Earth has come to an end, yet even a fairly superficial Analysis of the consequences of civilization's development makes it clear that the situation is worsening year by year.

Humans are simultaneously the highest form of life and a natural force that reshapes the environment (biosphere), which in turn affects the evolution of all life forms, including humans themselves. Indeed, certain changes in the biosphere can be unequivocally linked to anthropogenic impacts, yet the question arises: are these impacts negative or positive?

At the dawn of life on Earth, rising atmospheric oxygen levels enabled a new, more advanced Bioenergetics and, subsequently, the animal Cell. Whether a particular factor is positive or negative for life can only be determined by its ultimate outcome.

We cannot foresee the direction of future evolution, nor is it practically feasible to model such a process. Therefore, the question of distinguishing between anthropogenic impacts that favor or hinder humanity's future development remains open.

Humans are unique in that, while creating benefits for themselves, they can simultaneously act to the detriment of themselves as a species. Even if we assume that this creates the prerequisites for Human Evolution, we must not permit either a reduction in life expectancy or a loss of health. Consequently, The concepts of “ecological catastrophe” and “ecological hazard” should primarily be applied to humans themselves, rather than generalized to all Evolutionary Processes.