There is such a thing as phylogenesis. We will try to understand and give an accurate explanation of this phenomenon.
Unfamiliar concept
How often have you heard about phylogenesis? Surely many will assume that phylogenesis is biology, or, to be more precise, the definition used in biology. But, most likely, not every educated person knows exactly what will be discussed. A quick survey of ten people showed that:
- phylogenesis is “something similar to photosynthesis” (as suggested by four out of ten people);
- phylogenesis - mutation of living cells (two out of ten);
- phylogenesis - a definition used in genetics and denoting the process of "creating new individuals" (one in ten);
- Three more people, when asked what phylogenesis is, shrugged their shoulders in bewilderment.
However, despite the obvious lack of awareness in this matter, none of the respondents remained indifferent. Each of them wanted to know: what is phylogenesis?
Phylogenesis (biology)
Phylogenesis is the evolutionary development of any biological system. This term was introduced into scientific circulation by the German scientist-naturalist and philosopher Ernst Heinrich Haeckel in 1866. This definition refers to changes that occur during the evolution of various species of the organic world. The basis for the emergence in biology of the field studying phylogenesis was the “evolutionary teaching” of the English naturalist and traveler Charles Robert Darwin.
After the concept of phylogenesis appeared, other definitions that were different from the initial one were formed in science. For example, Ivan Ivanovich Shmalgauzen, a Soviet biologist, understood by phylogenesis the historical series of ontogenes that were selected, connected as an ancestor.
Phylogenesis is a very long process, it lasts for many millions of years. That is why it cannot be the object of direct observation, and is studied by reconstructing and modeling events and phenomena that have already occurred. Moreover, evolution is understood as a process during which a genetic line (ancestors) generates branches (descendants) with natural changes that occurred during this process or even led to the extinction of the species.
Correlation of phylogenesis and ontogenesis
Ontogenesis is a concept that came into scientific use even before the emergence of the doctrine of phylogenesis and which denotes the personal formation of an organism and the totality of successive transformations that it undergoes during life. After the discovery of the biogenetic law in the middle of the 19th century by Friedrich Müller and Ernst Haeckel, phylogenesis is studied in conjunction with ontogenesis.
In accordance with this law, any ontogenesis, in fact, is a brief and rapid repetition of the phylogenesis of this species. At the same time, ontogenesis and phylogenesis can be considered as “private and general”. The connection between these two concepts was also confirmed by Charles Darwin in the doctrine of recapitulation, which preaches the repetition in embryos during ontogenesis of the signs of their ancestors in phylogenesis. Charles Darwin identified two main varieties of recapitulation: atavism and rudiment.
The use of phylogenesis by various sciences
Phylogenesis is a doctrine that is very important for a number of sciences, including embryology, paleontology, comparative anatomy and even psychology. At the same time, phylogenetics, which studies the history of the development of various types of organisms, for the most effective study of evolution at the present stage refers to the achievements of such sciences as biochemistry, physiology, genetics, ethology, molecular biology, etc.
Phylogenesis in Psychology
In psychology, phylogenesis means the historical development of something in the process of evolution. Phylogenesis in psychology is a reflection of development through the mental state of individuals. Animals are characterized by an instinctive existence in the world, based on reflexes. The manifestation of reason is also inherent in higher animals, among others. In turn, a person, in addition to the above characteristics, also has consciousness and thinking. It is with the help of phylogenesis that psychology is able to carry out such studies, looking for the basis and factors that shaped the human psyche in the form in which it currently exists.
The importance of phylogenesis
Phylogenesis is one of the most important links in the development of all living things. Since its appearance in the scientific field, it has occupied a crucial place in understanding the evolution and development of not only the human race, but also all living organisms. Studies of this phenomenon are necessary for the development of a general theory of evolution and the construction of a natural system of organisms. The basis on which the doctrinal principles of phylogenesis are built is embodied in the theory of natural selection. At the moment, it should be said that the phylogenesis of various groups of organisms has been studied unevenly, which is determined by the different preservation of the remains and fossils, on the basis of which it would be possible to reliably build a phylogenetic (family tree) tree. Currently, the most studied is the phylogenesis of higher groups of vertebrates. If we talk about invertebrate animals, then among them the most studied can be attributed to mollusks, arthropods, brachiopods, and some others.
Of course, in the light of a great interest in the origin of the world, its components and, in particular, man, such a scientific phenomenon as phylogenesis is of great importance for humanity to know itself and the world around it.