The evolutionary history of the biosphere is characterized by aromorphosis: biological evolution by a general increase in the degree of organization without developing high degrees of specialization [1]. Four major stages of the evolutionary transformation of life (mega-aromorphoses) can be established in the recorded succession of the Neoproterozoic (Ediacaran)-Phanerozoic aromorphoses reflecting changes of the dominant groups. They are defined by the appearance of archetypes ensuring the possibilities of a prolonged and diverse rise of the level of their organization leading to significant increase in the activity of living organisms and their emerging independence from the environment. A successive series of developmental stages exploiting of the aquatic environment of the Neoproterozoic (Ediacaran)-Phanerozoic biosphere can be established based on their dominant groups: the biospheres of protozoans, proto-metazoans, protobilaterals, fishes and amphibians.
References
[1]
Severtsov, A.N. (1949) Morphologicheskie zakonomernosti evolyutsii [Morphological Regularities of the Evolution]. Leningrad, Moskva, 536 p. (In Russian)
[2]
Vernadsky, V.I. (1975) Razmyshleniya naturalista. Prostranstvo i vremya v nezhivoy i zhivoy prirode. [Reflections of a Naturalist. Space and Time in the Animate and Inanimate Nature.] Izdatelstvo “Nauka”, Moskva, 176 p. (In Russian)
[3]
Darwin, C. (1859) The Origin of Species. Castle Books, a Division of BOOK SALES, INC. Open Library, Internet Archive, 703 p.
[4]
Popov, A.V. (1978) Ob etapnosti evolyutsionnogo razvitiya organizmov. [On Stages of the Evolutionary Development of Organisms.] Trudy XVIII sessii VPO, Leningrad, 22-30. (In Russian)
[5]
Popov, A.V. (1993) Filogenez i evolyutsiya biosfery. Filogeneticheskie aspekty paleontologii. [Phylogeny and Evolution of the Biosphere. Phylogenetic Aspects of Paleontology.] Trudy 35 sessii VPO, Izdatel’stvo Nauka, St. Petersburg, 7-16. (In Russian)
[6]
Popov, A.V. (2006) Evolyutsiya kak camorazvivayushchayacya sistema. [Evolution as Self-Developing System.] Publishing House of St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 152 p. (In Russian)
[7]
Popov, A.V. (2011) O smene paradigm evolyutsionnoy teorii. [About Change of the Paradigm of the Evolutionary Theory.] V: Nesterov, E.M., Ed., Geologiya, geoekologiya, evolyutsionnaya geografiya [In: Nesterov, E.M., Ed., Geology, Geoecology, Evolutionary Geography], Sbornik nauchnykh trudov po materialam 11 mezhdunarodnogo seminara. Izdatel’stvo RPGU imeni A. I. Gertsena, St. Petersburg, 15-21. (In Russian)
[8]
Popov, A.V. (2008) Evolyutsiya i sistematika. [Evolution and Systematics.] Materialy 54 sessii of VPO, St. Petersburg, 146-149. (In Russian)
[9]
Dogel, V.A. (1981) Zoologiya bespozvonochnykh: uchebnik dlya universitetov. [Zoology of Invertebrates. Textbook for the Universities.] Polyanskiy, Yu. I. (ed.), 7th Edition, Vysshaya shkola, Moscow, 606 p. (In Russian)
[10]
Mikhaylova, I.A., Bondarenko, O.B. and Obrucheva, O.P. (1989) Obshchaya paleontologiya. Uchebnik. [General Paleontology. Textbook.] Izdatel’stvo Moskovskogo Universiteta, Moskva, 384 p. (In Russian)
[11]
Drushchits, V.V. (1974) Paleontologiya bespozvonochnykh. Uchebnik [Paleontology of Invertebrates. Textbook]. Izdatel’stvo Moskovskogo Universiteta, Moskva, 528 p. (In Russian)
[12]
Lamsdell, J.C., Briggs, D.E.G., Liu, H., Witzke, B.J. and McKay, R.M. (2015) The Oldest Described Eurypterid: A Giant Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) Megalograptid from the Winneshiek Lagerstatte of Iowa. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 15, 169. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-015-0443-9
[13]
Braddy, S.J., Poschmann, M. and Tetlie, O.E. (2007) Giant Claw Reveals the Largest Ever Arthropod. Biology Letters, 4, 106-109. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0491
[14]
Westheide, W. and Rieger, R. (2008) Zoology of Invertebrates in Two Volumes. Tovarishschestvo nauchnykh izdaniy KMK, Moscow, 935 p.
[15]
Beklemishev, V.N. (1964) Osnovy sravnitelnoy anatomii bespozvonochnykh. Izdatel’stvo Nauka (v dvukh tomakh), Moskva, Vol. 1, 432 p, Vol. 2, 446 p. (In Russian)
[16]
Shimansky, B.N. (1962) Nadotryad Nautiloidei. Obshchaya chast’. Klass Golovanogii. Obshchaya kharakteristica. Ocnovy paleontologii. [Superorder Nautiloidea. General Part. Class Cephalopoda. General Characteristics. Basics of Paleontology]. Izdatel’stvo Akademii Nauk, Moskva, 15-72.
[17]
Popov, A.V. (1987) Evolyutsionnoe znachenie lopastnoy linii ammonoidey [Evolutionary Significance of Sutural Line of Ammonoids]. Ezhegodnik VPO, 30, 162-176. (In Russian)
[18]
Akimushkin, I.I. (1968) Klass golovonogie (Cephalopoda). Zhizn’ zhivotnykh. V 6 tomakh. Tom 2. Bespozvonochnye. [Class Cephalopoda. Life of Animals. In 6 Volumes. Vol. 2. Invertebrates]. Izdatel’stvo Prosveshchenie, Moskva, 156-197. (In Russian)
[19]
Popov, A.V. (2009) O zakohomernostyakh razvitiya phanerozoyskoy biosphery [About Peculiarities of the Development of the Phanerozoic biosphere]. Vestnik St. Petersburg State University, seriya 7, Geologiya, geographiya, vyp. Vol. 3, 21-34. (In Russian)
[20]
Popov, A.V. (2012) Tsefalopody osobennocti i perspektivy evolyutsii [Cephalopoda Peculiarities and Perspectives of the Evolution]. V: Sovremennye Problem izucheniya golovonogikh mollyuskov. Morfologiya, sistematika, evolyutsiya i biostratigrafiya [In: Recent Problems of the Studying of Cephalopodal Mollusks. Morphology, Systematic, Evolution and Biostratigraphy]. PIN RAN, Moscow, 40-41. (In Russian)
[21]
Obukhov, D.K. (1999) Evolyutsionnaya morfologiya konechnogo mozga pozvonochnykh [Evolutionary Morphology of the Vertebrate Telencephalon]. Izdatel’stvo St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 203 p. (In Russian)
[22]
Romer, A.S. and Parsons, T.S. (1992) Anatomiya pozvonochnykh. V 2-x tomakh (t. 1, 358 p, t. 2, 406 p) [Translation in Russian by Kuznetsov, A.N. and Sidorova, T.B. from Romer, A.S. and Parsons, T.S., 1986. The Vertebrate Body. Saunders College Publishing, 656 p].
[23]
Carroll, R.L. (1993) Paleontologiya i evolyutsiya pozvonochnykh: v 3-x tomakh. Tom 3. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Mir, t. 3, 312 p. [Translation in Russian by Belov, V.V. and Karkhu, A.A. from Carroll, R.L., 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. N. Freeman and Company, New York, 698 p].
