The Evolution of the Biosphere

1 The Structure of the Biosphere.- 1.1. The Boundaries of the Biosphere.- 1.2. The Atmosphere.- 1.3. The Hydrosphere.- 1.4. The Lithosphere.- 1.5. Organisms.- 2 Solar Radiation Andits Transformations.- 2.1. Solar Radiation.- 2.2. The Energy Balance.- 2.3. Distribution of the Energy Balance Components.- 3 Climate And Geographical Zones.- 3.1. Contemporary Climate.- 3.2. Polar Ice.- 3.3. The Theory of Climate.- 3.4. The Hydrological Cycle.- 3.4.1. The Water Balance.- 3.4.2. Relationship between Energy and Water Balances on Land.- 3.4.3. The Water Cycle in the Atmosphere.- 3.5. Geographical Zones.- 3.5.1. Factors of Geographical Zonality.- 3.5.2. A Periodic Law of Geographical Zonality.- 4 Plants.- 4.1. Plants in the Biosphere.- 4.2. The Thermal and Water Regimes of Plants.- 4.3. Photosynthesis.- 4.4. The Productivity of Vegetation Cover.- 5 Animals.- 5.1. Animals in the Biosphere.- 5.2. The Heat Regime of Animals and Man.- 5.3. Ecological Systems.- 5.3.1. The Energy Regime of Animals.- 5.3.2. The Properties of Ecological Systems.- 6 History of the Biosphere.- 6.1. Origin of the Biosphere.- 6.2. Geochronologic Scale and the History of Organisms.- 6.2.1. The Precambrian.- 6.2.2. The Cambrian.- 6.2.3. The Ordovician.- 6.2.4. The Silurian.- 6.2.5. The Devonian.- 6.2.6. The Carboniferous.- 6.2.7. The Permian.- 6.2.8. The Triassic.- 6.2.9. The Jurassic.- 6.2.10. The Cretaceous.- 6.2.11. The Tertiary.- 6.2.12. The Quaternary.- 6.3. Lithosphere and Hydrosphere.- 6.3.1. The Lithosphere.- 6.3.2. The Oceans.- 7 Changes of the Atmosphere.- 7.1. Chemical Composition of the Atmosphere and the Life Activity of Organisms.- 7.2. Chemical Composition of the Atmosphere in Phanerozoic Time.- 7.3. Climates in the Geological Past.- 7.3.1. Methods for Studying Past Climates.- 7.3.2. Precambrian Climates.- 7.3.3. The Climates of the Palaeozoic and the Mesozoic.- 7.3.4. The Tertiary Climates.- 7.3.5. Climate of the Quaternary.- 7.3.6. Climate of the Holocene.- 7.4. Causes of Climatic Change.- 7.4.1. The Studies of the Causes of Climatic Change.- 7.4.2. Effects of Heat Income on the Thermal Regime.- 7.4.3. The Water Cycle Effects of Temperature Variations.- 7.4.4. Climatic Changes in Precambrian Time.- 7.4.5. Climatic Changes in the Phanerozoic.- 7.4.6. Climatic Changes in the Quaternary Period.- 7.4.7. The Climatic Effects of Volcanic Eruptions.- 8 The Evoluton of Organisms.- 8.1. Abiotic Factors of Evolution.- 8.1.1. Studies of the History of Organisms.- 8.1.2. Aromorphosis.- 8.1.3. The Diversity of Successive Faunas.- 8.2. Critical Epochs in Geological History.- 8.2.1. Global Ecological Crises.- 8.2.2. Extinction at the End of the Mesozoic.- 8.2.3. The Thermal Regime of the Dinosaurs.- 8.2.4. The Causes of the Late Mesozoic Extinction.- 8.3. Macroevolution.- 8.3.1. Microevolution and Macroevolution.- 8.3.2. The Size of Organisms.- 8.3.3. General Features of Macroevolution.- 9 Man and Biosphere.- 9.1. Formation of the Noosphere.- 9.1.1. The Noosphere.- 9.1.2. The Brain.- 9.2. The Origin of Man.- 9.2.1. The Difference between Man and Animals.- 9.2.2. The Role of Changes in the Environment.- 9.2.3. The Stages of Anthropogenesis.- 9.3. The Impact of Ancient Man on the Biosphere.- 9.4. Contemporary Man's Impact on the Biosphere.- 9.4.1. Anthropogenic Ecological Crisis.- 9.4.2. Man's Influence on the Biosphere.- 9.4.3. Forecasts of a Global Ecological Crisis.- 10 The Future of the Biosphere.- 10.1. Modern Climatic Change.- 10.1.1. The 20th-century Climate.- 10.1.2. Changes in the Chemical Composition of the Atmosphere.- 10.1.3. Anthropogenic Factors in Present Climatic Change.- 10.1.4. Detecting Anthropogenic Climatic Change.- 10.2. Expected Changes of the Biosphere.- 10.2.1. Climatic Conditions of the Near Future.- 10.2.2. The Biosphere's Effects of Climatic Changes.- 10.2.3. The Distant Future of the Biosphere.- 10.3. Man in the Universe.- 10.3.1. Life in the Universe.- 10.3.2. The Biosphere's Stability.- 10.3.3. The Uniqueness of the Earth's Biosphere.- 10.4 Preservation of the Biosphere.- Conclusion.- References.