Systems approach to the study of microbial methanogenesis in West-Siberian wetlands

This work is a lecture adapted to the format of a journal article on the course "Modern Topics in Biology", delivered by one of the authors in Yugra State University. The modern stage of the development of science and biology, in particular, is characterized by a systematic approach to the evaluation of various phenomena. In the concept of hierarchical holism, which dominates the systems approach, various biological systems form a hierarchical structure in which an element of one system is an independent system of a lower level. In any individual system, the key points are the interaction of its components and the structure that determines the stability of the system. The microbial systems of wetlands in West Siberia play a crucial ecological role in the context of the problem of greenhouse gases and changes in climate and atmospheric composition. The greenhouse gas methane entering the atmosphere is formed by the methanogenic microbial community, which is a complex biological system containing microbial groups which are closely related to each other by trophic interactions. The result of the work and the efficiency of the methanogenic microbial community is also determined by various physicochemical parameters of the environment. The main microbial agents responsible for the production of CH 4 are methanogenic archaea, which are divided into three main trophic groups. The application of a systematic approach to the study of the methane cycle in wetlands of West Siberia allows us to comprehensively evaluate the vertical and horizontal system relationships, identify key elements and conduct a complex analysis of the problem under study.