Different Levels Of Organization Research Articles

Evolución social: Una historia biológica de la cooperación

To talk about life is to talk about cooperation. Its evolutionary origin, different levels of organisation, and current complexity are the result of cooperation between different biological entities. This is also the case with animal societies, including the most complex of them all, the human society. Our language and extraordinary culture, our cities and vast social networks, are the fruit of cooperation. In a world dominated by Darwinian competition, how has cooperation come to play such an important role? Social evolution, the study of the biological bases of cooperation, tackles this question. From the origin of the first cell and to the explosion of social life in animals, social evolution explains how and why cooperation has guided life on our planet.

Independent Effects of Species Removal and Asynchrony on Invariability of an Intertidal Rocky Shore Community

Ecological stability depends on interactions between different levels of biological organization. The insurance effects occur when increasing species diversity leads to more temporally invariable (i.e., more stable) community-level properties, due in part to asynchronous population-level fluctuations. While the study of insurance effects has received considerable attention, the role of dominant species that contribute with particular functional traits across different level of organizations is less understood. Using a field-based manipulative experiment, we investigated how species richness and different types of parameters at the population level, such as the invariability of dominants, population invariability, and population asynchrony, influence the community invariability. The experiment involved the repetitive removal of the canopy forming algaMazzaella laminarioides(hereafter “Mazzaella”) during 32 months in two rocky intertidal sites of northern-central Chile. We predicted that the invariability of dominants enhances community invariability, that the effect of multispecies population-level parameters on community invariability are dependent on species richness, and that subdominant algae are unable to fully compensate the loss of canopies of the dominant species. Biomass of algae and mobile invertebrates was quantified over time. We observed independent effects ofMazzaellaremoval and community-wide asynchrony on community invariability. While canopy removal reduced community invariability, population asynchrony boosted community invariability regardless of the presence of canopies. In addition, filamentous and foliose algae were unable to compensate the loss of biomass triggered by the experimental removal ofMazzaella. Canopy removal led to a severe decrement in the biomass of macrograzers, while, at the same time, increased the biomass of mesograzers. Asynchrony stemmed from compensatory trophic responses of mesograzers to increased abundances of opportunistic algae. Thus, further work on consumer-resource interactions will improve our understanding of the links between population- and community-level aspects of stability.

Plant community data from a statewide survey of paired serpentine and non-serpentine soils in California, USA.

Soils derived from ultramafic parent materials (hereafter serpentine) provide habitat for unique plant communities containing species with adaptations to the low nutrient levels, high magnesium : calcium ratios, and high metal content (Ni, Zn) that characterize serpentine. Plants on serpentine have long been studied in evolution and ecology, and plants adapted to serpentine contribute disproportionately to plant diversity in many parts of the world. In 2000-2003, serpentine plant communities were sampled at 107 locations representing the full range of occurrence of serpentine in California, USA, spanning large gradients in climate. In 2009-2010, plant communities were similarly sampled at 97 locations on nonserpentine soil, near to and paired with 97 of the serpentine sampling locations. (Some serpentine locations were revisited in 2009-2010 to assess the degree of change since 2000-2003, which was minimal.) At each serpentine or nonserpentine location, a north- and a south-facing 50 × 10 m plot were sampled. This design produced 97 "sites" each consisting of four "plots" (north-south exposure, serpentine-nonserpentine soil). All plots were initially visited three or more times over two years to record plant diversity and cover, and a subset were revisited in 2014 to examine community change after a drought. The original question guiding the study was how plant diversity is shaped by the spatially patchy nature of the serpentine habitat. Subsequently, we investigated how climate drives plant diversity at multiple scales (within locations, between locations on the same and different soil types, and across entire regions) and at different levels of organization (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic). There are no copyright restrictions and users should cite this data paper in publications that result from use of the data.

Intellectual capital in the conceptual and categorical apparatus of economics: Critical understanding and systematization

The work is devoted to the concept of “intellectual capital” and its correlation with closely related concepts (human capital, social capital, intangible resources, etc.). The study is based on a critical analysis of the literature and uses the method of statistical-semasiological analysis of a sample of definitions. Intellectual capital is a set of intangible objects, properties and relations of socio-economic system, evaluated by the subjects of management as a source of value creation through participation in the processes of social reproduction at different levels of organization of national economy. The proposed definition is based on a critical quantitative analysis of the results of previous studies and reflects the relationship of the concepts denoting intangible factors of development. At the same time, the question of the source of value creation in the generation of intellectual capital is emphasized.

Cell Networks in Endocrine/Neuroendocrine Gland Function.

Reproduction, growth, stress, and metabolism are determined by endocrine/neuroendocrine systems that regulate circulating hormone concentrations. All these systems generate rhythms and changes in hormone pulsatility observed in a variety of pathophysiological states. Thus, the output of endocrine/neuroendocrine systems must be regulated within a narrow window of effective hormone concentrations but must also maintain a capacity for plasticity to respond to changing physiological demands. Remarkably most endocrinologists still have a "textbook" view of endocrine gland organization which has emanated from 20th century histological studies on thin 2D tissue sections. However, 21st -century technological advances, including in-depth 3D imaging of specific cell types have vastly changed our knowledge. We now know that various levels of multicellular organization can be found across different glands, that organizational motifs can vary between species and can be modified to enhance or decrease hormonal release. This article focuses on how the organization of cells regulates hormone output using three endocrine/neuroendocrine glands that present different levels of organization and complexity: the adrenal medulla, with a single neuroendocrine cell type; the anterior pituitary, with multiple intermingled cell types; and the pancreas with multiple intermingled cell types organized into distinct functional units. We give an overview of recent methodologies that allow the study of the different components within endocrine systems, particularly their temporal and spatial relationships. We believe the emerging findings about network organization, and its impact on hormone secretion, are crucial to understanding how homeostatic regulation of endocrine axes is carried out within endocrine organs themselves. © 2022 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:3371-3415, 2022.

РЕТРОСПЕКТИВНАЯ ОЦЕНКА И МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ РАДИОАКТИВНОГО ЗАГРЯЗНЕНИЯ ТЕРРИТОРИИ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ В РЕЗУЛЬТАТЕ КАТАСТРОФЫ НА ЧЕРНОБЫЛЬСКОЙ АЭС

The article presents conceptual approaches to retrospective assessment and predictive modeling of radioactive contamination of the territory of the Republic of Belarus as a result of the Chernobyl accident. The work was carried out within the framework of project 3.01 «Investigation of the effect of ionizing radiation in a wide range of doses and with the variability of radiation characteristics at different levels of organization of a living organism», GPNI «Natural resources and the envi-ronment» of the subprogram «Radiation and biological systems» for 2021-2025. We determined the most significant radionuclide composition (for assessing the consequences of the release of radionuclides into the environment for biota) and the levels of radioactive contamination of ecosystem components in the observation zone of the Gomel, Vitebsk and Grodno regions of the Republic of Belarus. The radiation situation was considered at different time stages, namely as a result of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing and after an emergency release at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant [1; 2]. At present time, according to our data, in the observation zone of the Gomel, Vitebsk and Grodno regions of the Republic of Belarus, the radiation situation is caused by 23Cs and 90Sr radionuclides. The migration of 90Sr in the soil and through the food chain significantly increases as a result of the destruction of fuel particles and, as a consequence, 90Sr enters the soil solutions, after which it migrates deep into the soil. In addition, in the Gomel region, 241Am accumulates due to the decay of 241Pu. The maximum contamination level of 241Am will be established by 2060 and will exceed 239 + 240Pu by a factor of 2.7, while territories with a contamination level of 238 + 239 + 240Pu + 241Am up to 1000 Bq / m2 may possibly go outside the 30-km zone. The results of scientific research were introduced into the educational process within the framework of lectures and practical classes at the Faculty of Environmental Monitoring of the International Sakharov Environmental Institute of Belarusian State University.

Ehrlich and Raven escape and radiate coevolution hypothesis at different levels of organization: Past and future perspectives.

The classic paper by Ehrlich and Raven on coevolution will soon be 60 years old. Although they were not the first to develop the idea of coevolution, their thought-provoking paper certainly popularized this idea and inspired several generations of scientists interested in coevolution. Here, we describe some of their main contributions, quantitatively measure the impact of their seminal paper on different fields of research, and discuss how ideas related to their original paper might push the study of coevolution forward. To guide our discussion, we explore their original hypothesis into three research fields that are associated with distinct scales/levels of organization: (1) the genetic mechanisms underlying coevolutionary interactions; (2) the potential association between coevolutionary diversification and the organization of ecological networks; and (3) the micro- and macroevolutionary mechanisms and expected patterns under their hypothesis. By doing so, we discuss potentially overlooked aspects and future directions for the study of coevolutionary dynamics and diversification.

Multi-scale Chimerism: An experimental window on the algorithms of anatomical control.

Despite the immense progress in genetics and cell biology, major knowledge gaps remain with respect to prediction and control of the global morphologies that will result from the cooperation of cells with known genomes. The understanding of cooperativity, competition, and synergy across diverse biological scales has been obscured by a focus on standard model systems that exhibit invariant species-specific anatomies. Morphogenesis of chimeric biological material is an especially instructive window on the control of biological growth and form because it emphasizes the need for prediction without reliance on familiar, standard outcomes. Here, we review an important and fascinating body of data from experiments utilizing DNA transfer, cell transplantation, organ grafting, and parabiosis. We suggest that these are all instances (at different levels of organization) of one general phenomenon: chimerism. Multi-scale chimeras are a powerful conceptual and experimental tool with which to probe the mapping between properties of components and large-scale anatomy: the laws of morphogenesis. The existing data and future advances in this field will impact not only the understanding of cooperation and the evolution of body forms, but also the design of strategies for system-level outcomes in regenerative medicine and swarm robotics.

Spatial Features and Functional Implications of Plant 3D Genome Organization

The advent of high-throughput sequencing-based methods for chromatin conformation, accessibility, and immunoprecipitation assays has been a turning point in 3D genomics. Altogether, these new tools have been pushing upward the interpretation of pioneer cytogenetic evidence for a higher order in chromatin packing. Here, we review the latest development in our understanding of plant spatial genome structures and different levels of organization and discuss their functional implications. Then, we spotlight the complexity of organellar (i.e., mitochondria and plastids) genomes and discuss their 3D packing into nucleoids. Finally, we propose unaddressed research axes to investigate functional links between chromatin-like dynamics and transcriptional regulation within organellar nucleoids.

The nervous system as a solution for implementing closed negative feedback control loops.

Behavior can be regarded as the output of a system (action), as a function linking stimulus to response (reaction), or as an abstraction of the bidirectional relationship between the environment and the organism (interaction). When considering the latter possibility, a relevant question arises concerning how an organism can materially and continuously implement such a relationship during its lifetime in order to perpetuate itself. The feedback control approach has taken up the task of answering just that question. During the last several decades, said approach has been progressing and has started to be recognized as a paradigm shift, superseding certain canonical notions in mainstream behavior analysis, cognitive psychology, and even neuroscience. In this paper, we describe the main features of feedback control theory and its associated techniques, concentrating on its critiques of behavior analysis, as well as the commonalities they share. While some of feedback control theory's major critiques of behavior analysis arise from the fact that they focus on different levels of organization, we believe that some are legitimate and meaningful. Moreover, feedback control theory seems to blend with neurobiology more smoothly as compared to canonical behavior analysis, which only subsists in a scattered handful of fields. If this paradigm shift truly takes place, behavior analysts-whether they accept or reject this new currency-should be mindful of the basics of the feedback control approach.

Functional attractors in microbial community assembly.

For microbiome biology to become a more predictive science, we must identify which descriptive features of microbial communities are reproducible and predictable, which are not, and why. We address this question by experimentally studying parallelism and convergence in microbial community assembly in replicate glucose-limited habitats. Here, we show that the previously observed family-level convergence in these habitats reflects a reproducible metabolic organization, where the ratio of the dominant metabolic groups can be explained from a simple resource-partitioning model. In turn, taxonomic divergence among replicate communities arises from multistability in population dynamics. Multistability can also lead to alternative functional states in closed ecosystems but not in metacommunities. Our findings empirically illustrate how the evolutionary conservation of quantitative metabolic traits, multistability, and the inherent stochasticity of population dynamics, may all conspire to generate the patterns of reproducibility and variability at different levels of organization that are commonplace in microbial community assembly.

“Evil Mastermind” in the framework of a verbally modeled reality

This article considers language means verbalizing the EVIL MASTERMIND in the framework of an alternative pop-cultural world. The paper regards an alternative reality as a logical construal, the result of categorizing and modeling activities. The said modeling unfolds according to the patterns of open systems’ development and follows the logic of irrational rationalization that involves mythic space and its content as primary categorization filters. The latter is treated as the premises of myth-oriented semiosis. The article employs the multidisciplinary methodology of M-logic. The article addresses Loki as a prototype EVIL MASTERMIND which is identified as a temporarily tolerated system or a subsystem manifesting extraordinary capacities at different levels of organization and functioning, grudgingly tolerated by other systems due to its etiology essentially contrary to their own, responsible for both their benefits and eventual demise. The paper provides reconstructions of respective semantic features encoded in the verbal construals in Old Norse Eddic texts. Further interpretations of these semantic features result into their arrangement into a systemic cluster thus providing a look at the inner structure of the conceptualized notion of EVIL MASTERMIND in the archaic Germanic tradition. Loki’s speech behavior is analyzed in terms of speech act semantics. Special attention is paid to the variant of EVIL MASTERMIND created in the alternative reality of a TV series “Loki”. The article highlights peculiarities of the alternative EVIL MASTERMIND’S speech activities and focuses on their strategy-tactics arrangements. The paper provides comparative analysis of the two EVIL MASTERMINDS in regard to the patterns of “agonist” VS “antagonist” interactions, employed speech acts, strategies and tactics as well as synthetic interpretations of mythic concepts’ transformations in a modeled alternative pop-cultural world.

Особливості вивчення та формування позитивного психологічного клімату спортивної команди

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of studying and forming a positive psychological climate of the sports team, which is one of the main factors in achieving high sports results. The aim of the article is to analyze the scientific and methodological literature on the problem of research and identify components that affect the formation of the psychological climate of the sports team, as well as methods and techniques of research on this issue. one of the possible ways to diagnose interpersonal relationships is to identify those individual qualities and properties that affect the relationship itself. The verbal scales we used to identify one or another property confirmed that high sports results are due to the favorable psychological climate in the team and a high degree of compatibility of its members. We considered the compatibility of members of the sports team on three levels: social, psychological and psychophysiological. In the process of each, including sports activities, relationships, traditions, habits, feelings are established between people, which directly or indirectly affect its effectiveness. These processes are called the psychological climate, which is formed in sports under the influence of various objective and subjective factors: success, age, feelings, moods, motives, needs and relationships between athletes, as well as under the influence of purposeful pedagogical work of the coach. The sphere of interpersonal relationships in a sports team is extremely wide, they have a complex structure, permeate different levels of organization of personality. Therefore, with the help of one, even well-designed test, it is impossible to fully reveal human relationships. Here it is necessary to use a comprehensive analysis of the individual and the team as a whole. The demand of society for attention to the psychological comfort of being in a professional environment is extremely high.

The Reaction of Various Functional Systems of the Body in the Dynamics of Oxygen Deficiency

The paper presents a comparative analysis of data on the effect of moderate and acute hypoxia on the functional state of systems at various levels of organization - molecular (amide groups of brain proteins), cellular (background electrical activity of neurons), systemic (electroencephalogram - EEG, electrocardiogram (ECG) and organismic (integrative signal of the body). Changes in electrographic parameters have an adaptive meaning for the body and are of a phase nature: in moderate hypoxia (4500-5000 m) the indicators are activated, and at acute hypoxia (7500 - 8000 m) - are depressed. 15-30 minutes after exposure to hypoxia at normal atmospheric pressure, the values of almost all indicators are back to normal. It is shown, that a prolonged aftereffect of acute hypoxia is observed at the organism molecular level. Under oxygen deficiency, the number of amide groups of brain proteins increases. After the hypoxic factor, this violation persists for a day. The data of the influence of hypoxia on animals, lead to the conclusion, that the functional systems of different levels of organization react ambiguously to the impact of increasing oxygen deficiency. However, in the dynamics of hypoxia in the values of the integrative signal recorded by a non-invasive method from the body surface, phase changes are not observed, on the contrary, the shifts are unidirectional. Certain deviations of the indicators of the integrative signal in the phase of moderate hypoxia increase during acute hypoxia and continue for several hours. We conclude that the remote "Bioscope" signal being integral in nature, is not the sum of individual electrographic indicators of various functional systems and has a high sensitivity and specificity to the change of physiological state of animal.

Bases conceptuales y herramientas gráficas para investigar cómo funcionan los rasgos funcionales

Functional traits constitute a promising research avenue to explain and predict ecological patterns at different levels of organization (genotypes, populations, communities) because they link individual responses to environmental conditions. However, Argentine ecologists and botanists seem not to have explored this line of research as much as colleagues in other parts of the world. With this work I intend to promote the use of functional traits among local and regional readers. Amalgamating often conflicting definitions proposed by other authors, I define functional traits as morphological characteristics that affect a chain of physiological and ecological processes that I refer to as function, vital rate, and population fitness. The purpose of this definition is to emphasize the mechanistic relationship between plant structure and function. The practical benefits are straightforward: predicting the future of a plant or a group of plants from their physical properties, which are generally easier to obtain than physiological or phenological measures. Next, I use two types of graphical tools to discuss the functionality of four key traits: potential plant height, seed mass, leaf mass per area, and leaf size. These graphical tools are (i) path diagrams that show direct or indirect, positive or negative connections between traits and fitness and (ii) cartesian graphs that describe the functional relationships between traits and vital rates that, when combined, result in optimum trait–fitness relationships. Theory indicates that such optimum relationships would be the norm rather than the exception, even though functional traits are generally interpreted as “indicators” of plant functions, which exclusively implies linear relationships. These graphical tools may help us produce predictions that guide data generation and contribute to fill important information gaps regarding the mechanistic link between plant form and population fitness. Although functional traits alone are unlikely to offer complete explanations or infallible predictions, ignoring them would deny us an irreplaceable source of information to understand and predict plant population and community responses to environmental conditions in a changing world.

THE WAR CONSEQUENCES ON NATURAL RESOURCES OF UKRAINE: ANALYSES AND METHODOLOGIES

THE WAR CONSEQUENCES ON NATURAL RESOURCES OF UKRAINE: ANALYSES AND METHODOLOGIES

Analysis of Russian dissertation research on wrong behaviour from the standpoint of the theory of sets by Dimitri Uznadze modified by Aleksandr Asmolov

In the review article, in the context of discussing the current problem of clarifying the causes of wrong behaviour and developing approaches to its correction based on the analysis of literature sources; the hypothesis is substantiated that behavioural errors in all their diversity are a consequence of the actualisation of sets at different levels of organisation. The scientific novelty of the research is in the fact that in order to achieve this goal, a comparative analysis of wrong behavior has been carried for the first time out from the standpoint of the classical theory of sets by Dimitri Uznadze and from the standpoint of modification of this theory by Aleksandr Asmolov, according to which human activity is stabilised by three types of sets at different levels of organization – operational, purpose and semantic. For the factual argumentation of the results of the analysis, all dissertations (46) that had been defended in Russia over the past 30 years as part of the study of wrong behaviour were studied. In these works, errors are described and discussed, which can be conditionally subdivided into three main large groups – automatic errors, errors of failure to achieve the goal and errors of the meaning of activity. These groups of errors have signs of level sets, and that confirms the hypothesis formulated in this article. The development of approaches to the correction of wrong behaviour on the basis of psychological mechanisms of formation and correction of sets at different levels of organisation within the framework of the concept of set activity by Aleksandr Asmolov.

IMPLEMENTING COMPETENCE MANAGEMENT

Although we live in a period of many innovations and technology, people's particularities are seen as a differential that can be very promising if well explored and used by organizations. Nevertheless, it is still very common to find in organizations people who feel under-utilized or, on the contrary, exposed to challenges that they believe are not up to overcoming them. In this sense, competency-based management has been identified as one of the most promising models for achieving the much-desired maximum productivity of employees for the benefit of companies and with benefits for employees. However, there are still opponents at different levels of organizations that are based on prejudice or even lack of information. Thus, this research aimed to study people's perception of a likely implementation of Management by Competence. It was concluded that the workers surveyed are very optimistic about this model of people management and that the obstacles to change are found in management. Due to its methodological limitations, the study does not allow generalizing the results, however, it indicates that current employees are more informed and confident about the benefits of competency management than their managers.

Age-dependent disregulation of the immune response in humans

The review article analyzes literature data on the issues of immune response dysregulation during aging. It has been shown that impairment of innate and adaptive immune response in elderly and senile people under the conditions of spreading the new coronavirus infection is an aggravating factor in the course of the disease and recovery. Neuro-immuno-endocrine changes occurring in the organs of immune system, immunocompetent cells, molecules and receptor formations involved into the arising immune response have been traced. The imbalance of the brain-intestine-microbiota axis is considered in sufficient details, where a significant role is attributed to the changes occurring in hypothalamic-adrenal system under participation of biogenic neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. It is shown that intestinal microbiota may be involved into the neurodegeneration events, due to toxic effects on the brain via the neuro-immuno-endocrine and metabolic pathways. The data are presented, which show that adrenaline, norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin are involved in the immune response dysregulation, thus making this process similar to the changes that occur during the general adaptation syndrome and stress response of the body. On the other hand, the review notes that chronic stress during aging not only alters the activity of macrophages, lymphocytes and dendritic cells, but also increases the level of proinflammatory cytokines in blood, thereby affecting permeability of the blood-brain barrier. The article emphasizes that with body aging, a neuroendocrine sensory pathway of immune response dysregulation is gradually formed. In this regard, it is noted that the afferent nerve endings and neurons of the vagus, adrenergic and peptidergic nerves are involved into dysfunction of immune system by affecting the processes occurring not only in thymus, but also in the brain. However, it is obvious that the pathodynamic “dysadapting circuit” formed in the higher compartments of nervous system is also involved in dysregulatory immune responses during aging. Hence, the work concludes that the signaling networks of the body's regulatory systems (nervous, immune and endocrine) are closely interconnected throughout the lifetime, but with aging and penetration of antigens into the body, this interaction is easily disrupted at different levels of organization of living matter, thus leading to dysregulation.

Can populations be healthy? Perspectives from Georges Canguilhem and Geoffrey Rose.

Canguilhem criticized the concept of “public health”: health and disease are concepts that only apply to individuals, taken as organic totalities. Their extension to a different level of organization is purely metaphorical. The importance assumed by epidemiology in the construction of our knowledge of the normal and the pathological does, however, call for reflection on the role and the status of the population level of organization in our approach to health phenomena. The entanglement of the biological and the social in human life and in contemporary societies justifies this level of analysis for better understanding the complexity and the interaction of health determinants both at the level of individuals and their interactions and at that of the population. But is this population level just a useful level of analysis that makes it possible to bring to light the social determinants of health at the individual level, or does it rest instead on characteristics of the population that are irreducible to individual characteristics, but which are nevertheless important for understanding and taking action with respect to both population and individual health? Defending this second alternative, I show how the epidemiological point of view, and in particular that of social epidemiology, leads us to rethink the possibility of a concept of “population health” that is not reducible to the sum of individual instances of health.