Integration into the space-time continuum
Life originated significantly later than the planet itself. Since Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago and the first primitive life forms appeared only 0.5–1 billion years ago, the evolution of living matter took place on an already prepared physical "stage".
As a result, living organisms were forced to adapt and organically fit into the existing phenomena of the inanimate world. The most important factors that determined the properties of living systems include:
- Earth's gravity — shaped the musculoskeletal systems and spatial orientation.
- Atmospheric gas composition — served as the basis for respiration processes.
- Temperature conditions of the air and the World Ocean — set the boundaries for biochemical reactions.
- Earth's electromagnetic field — influenced the navigation and biorhythms of organisms.
All these environmental properties inevitably reflected in the internal biological organization of living beings. In normal physiology, this pattern is known as P.K. Anokhin's principle.
Characteristics of the habitat
According to the concept based on the works of A. Einstein, the environment is not merely a set of objects, but a space-time continuum of events.
Key features of this environment:
- Absence of chaos. All occurring phenomena are closely interconnected both in space and in time.
- Structuredness. The environment possesses a clear material and informational organization.
- Cosmic dependence. This organization is primarily determined by the configuration of the planets of the solar system, and mainly by the interaction between the Earth and the Sun.
Episodic and periodic phenomena
Events in the surrounding continuum that affect organisms are divided into two main types:
- Episodic phenomena. These are events that lack a strict rhythm, such as precipitation or sudden earthquakes.
- Periodically recurring phenomena. These are events with a regular, predictable rhythm, for example: change of seasons, ocean tides, and the alternation of day and night.
Biological reflection of phenomena: In their anatomical and physiological organization, living beings have reflected both types of phenomena. However, periodic influences acquired the most critical and formative significance for vital activity. Especially important are those that regularly repeat during the lifetime of a single generation — they form stable biological rhythms and adaptive reactions.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
What fundamental properties of living organisms (homeostasis, irritability, metabolism) are traditionally highlighted in normal physiology?
The main properties and conditions for the existence of living systems cited in sources include:
- Constancy of the chemical composition and structure of the body's parts.
- Metabolism and energy exchange (metabolism) — the fundamental property of living beings: the conversion of nutrients into the body's own tissue components and metabolic end products, accompanied by the uptake and release of energy.
- Irritability — the property to respond to external or internal influences; forms the basis of organisms' adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
- Self-reproduction (reproduction) — ensures the continuity of life; associated with the formation of new molecules and structures based on DNA genetic information.
- Heredity — the property to transmit traits and developmental features across generations.
- Variability — the property of acquiring new traits in the process of individual development depending on environmental conditions.
- Growth and development — based on the DNA genetic program; include individual development (ontogeny) and historical development (phylogeny).
- Discreteness — the property whereby a biological system consists of separate yet interacting parts.
What is the anticipatory reflection of reality within the framework of P.K. Anokhin's concepts?
Anticipatory reflection of reality is a fundamental property of living matter, consisting in the organism's ability to respond to external influences faster than they unfold in real time.
- Essence of the phenomenon — the ability of living objects to foresee surrounding events and anticipate their sequence.
- Conditions of formation — primarily related to periodically recurring impacts on the organism.
- Physiological basis — closely linked to the signaling significance of conditioned stimuli.
- Molecular mechanism — each environmental impact leaves corresponding molecular changes (traces) in the organism, preparing it for future events.
What specific classes (types) are biological rhythms formed under the influence of periodic factors divided into?
Depending on the duration of the period, biological rhythms are divided into two main groups: with short-term and long-term periodicity.
- Biorhythms with short-term periodicity — last fractions of a second (nerve cell impulses), seconds (cardiac cycle, respiration), and minutes (hunger contractions of the stomach).
- Biorhythms with long-term periodicity — include the following types:
- Diurnal (circadian) — driven by the alternation of day and night, repeating at periods close to 24 hours.
- Monthly (selenidian, circasemilunar) — close to 28 days, which corresponds to the Moon's orbital period.
- Annual (circannual) — close to 365 days, the period of Earth's revolution around the Sun.
- Multi-year (heliobiological) — driven by the 11-year solar activity cycle.
To memorize P.K. Anokhin's principle, use the mirror association: a living organism is a biological "mirror" that during evolution reflected within itself the physical parameters of the inanimate environment (gravity, gases, rhythms).
Class and exam questions
What is the essence of P.K. Anokhin's principle?
The principle states that the properties of the environment in which evolution took place are directly reflected in the biological and physiological properties of living organisms.
Which environmental phenomena are considered most crucial for vital activity?
Of particular importance are periodically recurring phenomena (alternation of day and night, seasons) that affect the organism throughout the lifetime of a single generation.
How does physiology describe the habitat?
The habitat is viewed as a space-time continuum of events possessing material and informational organization, rather than a chaotic set of elements.
What else to study on this topic
- Mechanisms of the organism's adaptation to Earth's gravity
- The influence of the electromagnetic field on physiological processes
- Physiological reactions to episodic phenomena (stressors)
- Formation of biorhythms under the influence of periodic phenomena
- The role of atmospheric gas composition in the evolution of respiratory systems
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Other topics in the section «General properties, pp. 13-16»
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