Basics of Evolution - Korzh O.P. - 2006

Part II. MACROEVOLUTION

Chapter 14. Progressive Evolution

14.5. Interrelation of Various Directions of Progress

It should be noted that evolutionists are not limited to the forms of progress mentioned above. For instance, M.V. Timofeeff-Ressovsky, M.M. Vorontsov, and A.V. Yablokov (1969) proposed distinguishing biogeocenotic progress as a separate form, the main criterion of which is considered to be the increasing efficiency of biogeocenotic activity in the overall biogeochemical work of the biosphere. According to these scientists, this form of progress has not been sufficiently elaborated. This applies both to the respective analysis of biogeocenoses and to the criteria themselves by which such an analysis should be carried out.

O.I. Zotin and A.A. Zotin (1999) propose singling out bioenergetic progress from the general phenomenon of progressive evolution, which characterizes the growth of organismal energetics during evolution. According to their calculations, progressive evolution was accompanied by a significant increase in METABOLISM/26.html">Energy Metabolism; in vertebrates, it exceeds that of invertebrates (with the exception of insects, whose standard metabolic rate is higher than that of Fishes, amphibians, and reptiles), while among vertebrates, birds possess the highest metabolic rate. These scientists also found that when comparing the standard metabolic data of individual animal types and classes with the time of their appearance in the paleontological record, bioenergetic progress is traced in real geological time. The increase in energy metabolism contributes to The formation of new opportunities for improving the functioning of controlling and regulating systems in organisms (enhancing the Organization of animals and plants). However, development via bioenergetic progress is considered to be limited primarily by The amount of solar energy that plants are able to assimilate and by the body Temperature of animals at 45-50 C, at which Protein Denaturation begins (with certain exceptions).

Without delving into a detailed Analysis of the exceptions to the aforementioned forms of progressive evolution, let us make some generalizations. Firstly, separating different forms of progress is sometimes quite difficult; secondly, the same organisms can be at fundamentally different Stages of the listed forms of progress, which significantly complicates solving Structure/149.html">The problem of progressiveness as a whole (parasitic forms, which are biologically progressive, may be regressive according to Other forms of progress); thirdly, in some cases we can argue that certain forms of progress duplicate one another, which is why this problem requires further effective developments and new generalizations.

While distinguishing Various Forms of progress, specialists nevertheless understand the necessity of generalizing them and believe that all these forms operate not in isolation, but in interconnection. The consequence of this, as we see it, is that certain changes in organization (biotechnical progress) can promote a significant improvement in the state of respective organisms in the biosphere, ensuring range expansion, population growth, and the formation of daughter forms (biological progress). All of this is accompanied by in-depth subsequent transformations of entire Organ Systems, which can form a new adaptive complex of the aromorphosis type and allow the respective group to enter a new adaptive zone (group progress). The latter can be considered as an elementary stage of unlimited progress.

Thus, the formation of a complex Integumentary System and Malpighian tubules in the excretory system of insects, which significantly reduce moisture loss, contributed to their conquest of land. Such phenomena of biotechnical progress ensured the gradual flourishing of the group (biological progress) in conditions of almost complete absence of competitors. This process proceeded especially effectively after the formation of wings and The ability to fly as a mode of locomotion. The gradual accumulation of positive adaptations (compound eyes, a relatively large Brain, an efficient Musculoskeletal System, reduction in the number of ontogenetic stages, development through complete metamorphosis, and some others) provided the necessary foundation for the group progress of insects. Indeed, insects are currently one of the most progressive groups of organisms, having occupied the most diverse ecological niches, spread across almost the entire territory of the planet, and representing an example of extraordinary diversity in morphological forms and adaptations for the maximum utilization of available resources. It is this group that can be regarded as one of the most important milestones of unlimited progress.

Oddly enough, the first animals to form a society were social insects. It is believed that their society originated from offspring care (manipulating the quantity and quality of food fed to larvae) and provided better nest protection and certain other advantages. However, the Specificity of insect organization as small animals imposes limitations on their capabilities, including intellectual abilities (a small total number of Nerve Cells due to limited size). The consequence of such a limitation is the predominance of instinctive behavior in this group of animals and the lack of significant individual experience. Nevertheless, it is possible that in the distant future social insects will prove capable of initiating a new stage in the arorgenic development of nature.

Along the general trajectory of the Progressive development of organisms from the simplest forms to the level of civilization, there have been numerous deviations. Human society is far from the only attempt to form a social lifestyle in nature. A large number of vertebrate representatives provide vivid Examples of the formation of communities that, in their organizational principles, differ little from human society. This form of organization is most highly developed in social insects, among which phenomena such as slave-making (capturing and utilizing individuals of one species by another), breeding and raising representatives of other species for nutritional purposes, and even the formation of so-called federations (the largest numbering tens of millions of individuals) are observed. At the same time, in most animal groups, there were certain limiting factors that prevented the respective organisms from reaching the level of civilization. The only representative capable of this turned out to be humans, but this process should by no means be viewed as regular and mandatory (for details, see the chapter dedicated to anthropogenesis).

Moreover, unlimited progress is not measured by modern human society, and a fundamentally new form of organization of living matter may arise in the future.

Once again, the relativity of THE CONCEPT OF "progress" is emphasized by the second paradox of I.I. Schmalhausen, according to which the progressive development of flora and fauna occurs significantly faster in temperate and continental climates compared to the course of evolution in the tropical belt. Despite favorable living conditions, the flora and fauna of the tropics, with their striking Abundance and diversity, are quite conservative. It is here that the most archaic representatives of various groups of organisms have survived, creating the impression of "living fossils", while other Representatives of the tropical region are significantly inferior in this respect to the plants and animals of the temperate zone.

I.I. Schmalhausen explains this paradox by the fact that in the tropics, due to favorable living conditions, there is an extremely high concentration of various species with their relatively small population sizes. Thus, the most important evolutionary impact under such conditions is exerted by interspecific Struggle for Existence, which leads only to the divergence of various species into their ecological niches. In the temperate zone, periodically harsh living conditions limit settlement to only hardy forms capable of successful reproduction there. Species diversity turns out to be insignificant in this case, but each species is represented by a large number of individuals. The intraspecific struggle for existence in this instance reaches maximum intensity with significantly smaller influences from interspecific interactions, which slows down speciation but promotes the progressive transformation of the respective species. In the tropical region, the combination of low intensity of intraspecific struggle with a substantial influence of biotic factors (numerous diseases, parasites, predators, etc.) significantly slows down the general rates of progressive development of forms, predominantly promoting speciation. Thus, the processes of speciation and progressive development of groups (adaptogenesis) should not be equated.