Geophysiology of mineral deposits ‐ a model for a biological driving force of global changes through Earth history

Abstract

The upper mantle, crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere of Earth are kept in a geophysical, geochemical and thermodynamical state far from astrophysical and planetary equilibrium. The system oscillates around a quasi-stable centre following laws governing dissipative or dynamic systems. The energy and materials necessary for such global pseudoequilibria are fed in, stored and released on a geological time-scale by (a) the energy and electron channelling processes of photosynthesis, respiration and fermentation, (b) biologically controlled accumulation of energy and matter into crustal reservoirs and much later (c) release of the latter from crust and upper mantle into surface-related geotectonical and geochemical cycles. Phototrophic and chemorganotrophic bacterial microorganisms of microbial mats, potential stromatolites or microbialites are capable of anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis, of aerobic and anaerobic respiration and of organic and inorganic fermentation, i.e. disproportioning of energy-

Entwicklung tropischer Korallenriffe

“…weise darauf, dai3 das gesamte genetische Potential (Mikroben und Makroorganismcn) der Erde anscheinend eingebunden ist in eilien einzigartigen forrngebenden und formverandcrnden ProzeB [48]. Jeder einzelne Organismus spielt seine Rolle und ist als Einzelorganismus dcnnoch vollig unbedeutend irn standigen Wechsel dci-Formen und Prozesse.…”

Alternative evolutionary theories: A historical survey

“…At present, various versions of the theory are supported by the Russian microbiologist Georgii A. Zavarzin (e.g., Zavarzin 1997, the English inventor James Lovelock and the American microbiologist Lynn Margulis (e.g., Lovelock 1986Lovelock and Margulis 1974;Margulis 1996) and the German geomicrobiologist Wolfgang E. Krumbein (Krumbein and Schellnhuber 1992).…”

The Role of Space Weather and Geophysical Processes in Behavioral Studies

“…Recent studies (Lovelock & Margulis, 1974;Krumbein & Schellnhuber, 1992Lovelock, 2009Halasz et al, 2016) propose that organisms interact with their inorganic environment to create a self-regulating system that is optimal for their own requirements. A growing number of scientists believe that the link between the selfregulating biosphere and the atmosphere is a two-way connection.…”