PROFESSOR OLGA V. SMIRNOVA’S SYSTEM OF VIEWS IN FOREST ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

Abstract

Professor Olga V. Smirnova, Doctor of Biological Sciences, is a prominent scientist in the field of plant demography, population biology, and forest ecosystem ecology. Professor Olga V. Smirnova’s edifice is based on ideas about the leading role of plant and animal populations in the organization of the biogeocenotic cover. In this case, it is implied that a continuous generational turnover in edificator (keystone species) populations is necessary to maintain the species and structural diversity in communities and ensure their sustainability. This system of views was influenced by Professor Alexey A. Uranov. The development of these ideas was consistent and gradual. First, Professor Olga V. Smirnova studied the biology of different plant species life forms. Examining their individual development, with identification of ontogenetic stages, is necessary for demographic research. She then developed the theory of coenopopulations as supraorganismal systems, which can self-sustain under different conditions. Finally, she developed the doctrine of biogeocenosis as a system of interacting populations and created the concept of anthropogenic transformation of the forest cover in the Holocene. Her contributions helped researchers to understand the mechanisms of the formation of modern zonality that are due to human activity.