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Living Matter of the Biosphere: Mass and Chemical Elemental Composition

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The paper discusses V.I. Vernadsky’s concept of living matter of the biosphere. Living matter in the sense of all organisms of the biosphere considered collectively is heterogeneous, plastic, integral, organized, and facilitates the continuous movement of atoms of chemical elements, transforms energy, and forms and preserves corresponding environments. Living matter is characterized by a certain chemical elemental composition and mass and performs certain functions. Living matter is mosaic and ubiquitous. It is characterized by homeostasis due to biological diversity, multiple relations between individual organisms, and the unique ability of adaptation. The paper reports data on the mass of living matter, its differentiation, and chemical composition.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Acad. E.M. Galimov for valuable comments provided when the manuscript was prepared.

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  1. Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry (GEOKhI), Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    V. V. Ermakov & Yu. V. Kovalsky

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Ermakov, V.V., Kovalsky, Y.V. Living Matter of the Biosphere: Mass and Chemical Elemental Composition. Geochem. Int. 56, 969–981 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702918100063

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