[Ecosystem evolution: main stages and potential mechanisms]

Major differences between the Western and "Russian" (Zavarzin, 1995) paradigms in ecology and evolutionary biology are described. The "Russian" paradigm suggests that there exist two, rather than one, quite independent lineages--species evolution and ecosystem evolution. This is based on the idea that life may exist just as a nutrient cycle. The main terms and concepts of the "Russian" paradigm are defined more exactly. An attempt is made to develop this paradigm so that it would be possible to describe not only phenomenology, but also mechanisms of ecosystem evolution. To simplify evolutionary phenomena logically, it is suggested to use the concept of conditionally complete causal explanation (Lekevicius, 1984; 1985), i.e. deduce evolutionary mechanisms from major principles of functioning. This methodology is adapted to model the main stages of the evolution of nutrient cycles (3.8-2.0 bln. y.a.) and the appearance and evolution of biophagy (1.7-0 bln. y.a.). Based on a multitude of examples, it is shown that these are functional constraints that are the forces directing evolution; those constraints emerge during the interaction of organisms and while the latter interact with the abiotic environment. Since the structure of an ecosystem is non-rigid, each species is able to accumulate features useful to both an ecosystem and itself. Those are individuals that die and reproduce, whereas all structures, from macromolecules to ecosystems, evolve.