Vol 8, No 4 (2018)

The concepts of population systems, metapopulations, and biocomplexity share similar ideas about the organization of life at the population level, a mandatory element of which is the presence of an internal structure or subdivision into population components connected with each other via a certain level of migration. The subdivision of a population system or a metapopulation into interconnected components allows efficient adaptation and stability of the total system in a varying environment and ensures its far longer life as compared with its individual components. In 1970, Yu.P. Altukhov and Yu.G. Rychkov were the first to substantiate the idea of a systemic organization of populations, or the concept of population systems, as a condition essential for the stable existence of populations in biological species. The results of studying natural population systems, including large groups of isolated human populations, and examining laboratory and computer models are described. A modern theory of metapopulations independently emerged abroad, almost simultaneously with the concept of population systems, and it was intensely developed in recent years in the context of conservation biology. The idea of matter and importance of the biocomplexity of regional population systems and the understanding that it is essential to preserve biocomplexity in the harvesting of commercial species are recognized as an important condition for their resistance to unfavorable anthropogenic and climatic factors.

Meiosis in Drosophila differs from the canonical type. Males lack synaptonemal complexes, chiasmata, and crossing-over. Only females have these classical traits of meiosis. However, during meiosis prophase I, female Drosophila lack the bouquet-like chromosome arrangement, an accessory mechanism for homologous chromosomes synapsis that is typical for the majority of eukaryotes. Instead, the pericentromeric heterochromatic regions of chromosomes are fused into the chromocenter. This leads to peculiarities in the pairing, synapsis, and segregation of chromosomes and to the so-called interchromosomal phenomena (effects). During late prophase I in females, chromosomes are packed in a karyosome, which is also characteristic of females in other animals with the nutrimental type of egg nutrition. The dissimilarities of meiosis in Drosophila from the classical scheme do not affect significantly its genetic consequences.

Studies of neural stem cells (NSCs) made substantial adjustments to the basic knowledge of brain development and function. Neurons transformed from NSCs are necessary participants in many physiological processes of the adult brain. The level of neurogenesis, its dynamics, and the number of emerging cells increase with memory stimulation, cognitive processes, social adaptation, reproductive function, and protection from stress. The article considers examples of how experience in communication with an environment of enriched informational background stimulates the formation of new neurons. The analysis makes it possible to consider neurogenesis as a new mechanism to maintain the adaptive plasticity of the adult brain.

A relatively new original concept of metabolic immunity is described based on long-term original clinical studies and confirmations from clinical testing. Multiple sclerosis (MS) and cerebrovascular disorders (CVDs) are a pressing problem, while their etiology is not completely understood, especially in the former case, and most likely involves many factors. However, metabolic immunity, which is associated with cell–tissue clusters of the body and providing a key link in the inseparable chain of systemic and local immunity, is a basic principle. Basic markers of the main bodily reactions and their relationships and the results of testing various immune preparations are reported. Various types of immune responses were identified, and a severity rating of laboratory changes in particular nosological forms was developed as a tool for effective immunotherapy.