Space Technology

By: Duan Xiu-Bin
 

?, Trial Amendment 

Refer to the article ?Preliminary Analysis of Biological Enzymes Originating from Micro-organisms?. If its theoretical discussion and the equation "a + b = c" could be tenable, it would be inevitable to cause the above contradictions in the traditional biological chain exposed and produce the following amendments. 

If the decomposers in the Fig. 1 were changed into "soil" and "atmosphere" and then set in the equation “a + b = c” (expressed with —M? going to decompose and synthesize) at every level of the material transfer, this changed figure would become a biological chain with both content and form. Thus it would no longer be worried with all the above contradictions and initiate an essential change. Combining the discussion that the micro-organisms play a medium role at all levels of the transfer in the material cycle in the ecosystem, both of the soil in the natural ecosystem and the chyme in the digestive tract in the animal body belong to the site or base materials for the micro-organisms to decompose and synthesize. Their differences are merely in the site size, in the micro-organism genus survival of the fittest, in the micro-organisms density and in the efficiency to decompose and synthesize the organic materials, but their meanings are same. In the small world in the animal body, the chyme in the digestive tract is the same to the micro-organisms as the soil for the plants to utilize in the natural world (in fact, such a soil in vivo is more important than the one in the natural world for the plants to utilize). At the same time, it also revealed a small unidirectional cycle (the chyme could be transformed into the animal body, but the animal body could not be transformed into its own chyme) in the animal body, which derived from the plants under the large background in the natural material cycle. Subsequently, on the basis of these one by one small cycles, they are connected in series by a food chain and constitute another greater unidirectional cycle (as the food chain after getting rid of the “decomposers” from Fig. 1). The surplus plants, herbivores and carnivores in the series connection and the various animals at the top of the food chains, all of their destination is the soil and atmosphere, and finally they are connected in parallel to the large cycle in the nature (see Fig. 2).

(be omitted)

Note: In the Fig. 1, the arrows indicate the eating and eaten relationship, but the amended arrows in the Fig. 2 indicate the meaning of decomposing and synthesizing in the eating and eaten processes. 

?, Biological chain and material transformation 

The material transformation in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 can be respectively shown by the following simple graphic methods (M = micro-organisms). Thus we can see in a more intuitive way the asymmetry of material transformation and the absence of the micro-organisms in half of links in the traditional biological train, as well as the obvious incompatible contradiction between the traditional biological chain theory and the material transformation law. These contradictions have been solved one by one in the trial amendment of Fig. 2. 

Fig. 1-1, The material transformation shown in the Fig. 1: 

                           M                                              M           M

Inorganic matter--- plants--- animals--- animals--- plants--- inorganic matter

                           M            M                                              M 

Fig. 2-1, The material transformation shown in the Fig. 2: 

                            M           M              M              M            M

Inorganic matter ---plants--- animals--- animals--- plants--- inorganic matter

                            M            M              M              M            M                           

We can see from the Fig. 2-1, there is the participation of micro-organisms in the material transformation at all levels reflected in the amended biological chain (red - green - red). But the material transformation reflected in the Fig. 1 resulted the serious asymmetries due to the absence of micro-organisms in some links, and made the material cycle obstructed. 

There are two modes that the micro-organisms are involved in the material transformation in vivo, that are the direct participation inside the large intestine and the indirect participation above the large intestine. The indirect participation is their main mode, which belongs to a particular way, that is the enzymes secreted by the micro-organisms in vivo and in food are absorbed into body in the intestinal tract, and then distributed to various digestive sites to break down organic materials. Because the animal life is based on the plant, the indirect participation is the main mode that the micro-organisms participate in the material transformation in vivo and the energy stored in the plants must be transferred by organic materials, some organic materials may be derectly absorbed by the animal body when they are broken down into small molecules and they are impossible to or need not be broken down into the inorganic (This is different from the plants). 

With the aid of the above two simple graphics, we can see more clearly that, in the three main species of living things (plants, animals and micro-organisms) in the biosphere, the relations between micro-organisms and animals as well as plants are not at all simple eating and eaten, and the micro-organisms are also definitely indispensable, but they play a medium role and belong to a key element at all levels of material transformation. 

?, Conclusions 

The amended biological chain has an essential difference from the traditional one. It might get rid of the incompatible contradictions with the material transformation theory and the adverse effects to the relevant disciplines, cause the material transformation at all levels to vitalize endlessly and cycle constantly under the drive of micro-organisms along its own path.

 

References: 

1, Food chains, Wikipedia Web Site (05 November 2008), available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chain. 

2, Biological chain—Food chain, Tne Web Site of Popular Science Panorama of China (27 May 2002), available at http://www.kepu.net.cn/gb/earth/environment/biochain/200205270144.html. 

3, food webs, The Web Site of Montana State University, U.S. (2005), available at http://weedeco.msu.montana.edu/class/LRES443/Lectures/Lecture20/FoodWeb.JPG. 

4, Catabolism, Metabolism, Wikipedia Web Site (16 November 2008), available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism#Catabolism. 

5, Jan Baptist van Helmont, Wikipedia Web Site (21 October 2008), available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmont. 

6, (China) Duan Xiu-Bin, Preliminary Analysis of Biological Enzymes Originating from Micro-organisms, Unpublished. 

First draft: Aug. 17, 2007.  Revised for many times.