Mammals in human life. Mammals. Significance in nature and in human life. Mammals play an important role in human life

The importance of mammals in nature and human life and received the best answer

Answer from Olga_ glam_[newbie]
In human life
there for food, for the skin,
in nature for example
the wolf is nature's orderly
The value of mammals for humans
For humans, animals have great importance from the time when our
the ape-like ancestor went hunting for the first time. Can be done with confidence
say that small mammals and cubs of large animals became per-
howl his prey. Switching to meat the most important factor in evolution
person. They began to make clothes from animal skins, use fat for
broadcast dwellings, bones for making darts and
arrows Among some peoples of the North, even at present, hunting remains the main
new occupation. Everyone knows the expression "soft gold". Thousands, de-
tens of thousands of hunters-hunters work in the vastness of Russia,
weaving squirrel and muskrat, sable and marten, hamster and ermine, etc. They
hand over to the state, increasing its wealth, millions of skins - "soft
gold". Fur-bearing animals are also bred on fur farms.
But not only a valuable skin is given to a person by animals. Meat of wild animals -
elk, saiga, roe deer and others - used for food. And for the residents
lazy areas, where the delivery of products is difficult and where natural conditions
little suitable for the development of animal husbandry, it is the main rationale
one.
From contact with animals, for example, during a meeting in the forest with a hedgehog,
hare or squirrel, a person receives aesthetic pleasure. Him
the mood rises. What is very important for the mental and emotional
th state. Many for constant communication with animals settle them in
your home. It helps to understand the essence of nature, to love all living things.
Such a person will treat nature more carefully, with knowledge of the matter. He
will never destroy a dry tree in the hollow of which a squirrel or co-
pain, without special need, will not drain the swamp, the overgrown old woman where they nest
birds or inhabited by otters, beavers and other animals.
The state plays an important role in the protection of nature. A number of
dov, whose numbers have declined sharply in recent decades,
currently under his protection. These include: wild boar,
beaver, desman, tiger, etc. Special reserves and nurseries have been created,
where work is underway to restore and preserve certain species of animals
nyh. As a result, it was possible not only to save many rare animals, but also
increase their numbers.
At home, a wide variety of species of mammals are kept: from
baby mice and golden hamster to dogs and cats.
They can be bought on the market, in zoological shops, scientific research
research laboratories or catch in natural conditions, which, be-
certainly requires a special approach, skills and precautions.
It is known that certain species of wild mammals create a
few problems and even harm. In some years, their number
melt so that they pose a great threat to the crop and can
bring significant losses to agriculture.
Wild mammals are a source of diseases dangerous to humans. So,
marmots, little ground squirrel and great gerbil- the main carriers of plague, in-
the water vole can be the culprit in an outbreak of tularemia; wolves and strays
dogs transmit rabies, leptospirosis, helminthiases, etc. to humans.
the role of mammals in the formation and maintenance of natural
foci of tick-borne encephalitis, tick-borne typhus, Q fever and many
some other diseases.
In addition, their vital activity negatively affects the processes
reforestation, formation of grass cover, soil structure.
Millions of rodents and insectivores burrow into the surface every day.
ny layers of soil, laying long moves, toss and grind
huge masses of land. In the forest belt, a lot of "work" of diggers is done
moles and voles swim, on the marshy shores - muskrats and water rats,
in the tundra - lemmings, on alpine meadows Caucasus - Promethean voles,
on the Tien Shans - marmots and herd voles. At the same time, the animals are often damaged
d

Answer from 2 answers[guru]

Mammals are part of the majority of biocenoses, occupying niches as primary consumers of plant foods (rodents, ungulates, proboscis, etc.) and carnivores (predators, insectivores, bats, etc.). They are involved in soil formation and the formation of vegetation cover. The division of mammals into useful and harmful is rather conditional. In different situations, the value of the same species can be assessed for a person both positively and negatively.

Mammals provide humans with food (meat, milk), clothing (leather, fur), medicines, serve as vehicles, etc. Domestication and domestication of mammals began in ancient times and continues to the present.

In the 20s. 20th century Russia began the development of fur farming. Minks, arctic foxes, nutrias, sables, chinchillas, and foxes are bred in specialized farms (fur farms). The hunting of wild mammals is of great importance in human economic activity. It is carried out under the control of state and public organizations.

Harmful to humans in our country are considered synanthropic rodents - rats and house mice. synanthropic organisms – plants and animals whose way of life is associated with man, his dwelling, the landscape created or modified by him. Obligate synanthropic animals (rats, house mice, cockroaches, bedbugs) are closely related to humans and are usually not found outside of its settlements.

In a number of regions, voles and ground squirrels cause tangible harm to agriculture. Many wild animals are carriers and distributors of infectious diseases dangerous to humans, such as plague, leishmaniasis, hemorrhagic fever, typhoid fever, etc.

Class Mammals. General characteristics and body structure

General characteristics of the class Mammalia (Mammalia) - warm-blooded vertebrates from the group of amniotes. Mammals are the most highly organized group of vertebrates. The progressive features of their organization are expressed in many organs, but especially clearly in the high development of the central nervous system and sense organs; a complex system of thermoregulation, which determines the relative constancy of body temperature (in most mammals -37 - 39 ° C); adaptation to live birth and mother feeding the cubs with her milk, which creates favorable conditions for the survival of the offspring.

According to the nature of nutrition, mammals are divided into omnivores, carnivores and herbivores.

The body is covered with hair (in some species the hairline is reduced).

The skin contains sebaceous and sweat glands.

The brain is characterized by a strong development of the cerebral cortex. The skull is articulated with the spine by two condyles. There are three auditory ossicles in the middle ear.

Teeth vary in shape and purpose; they sit in the cells of the jaws.

The lungs have an alveolar structure.

The heart is four-chambered. The single aortic arch curves to the left.

The chest cavity is separated from the abdominal muscular septum - the diaphragm.

The kidneys in adults are pelvic.

As a rule, they are viviparous animals, but there are also oviparous forms.

Females feed their young with milk secreted by the mammary glands.

2. The structure of the body of mammals: you can distinguish between the head, neck, torso, tail (sometimes absent), fore and hind limbs.

The body cavity of mammals is distinguished by the fact that it is divided by the diaphragm into two sections: thoracic and abdominal. The chest cavity contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys and a number of other organs.

The integument of mammals is peculiar. Their skin has special tubular sweat and alveolar sebaceous glands. The former have excretory functions and their secret - sweat - helps to cool the body when overheated. The sebaceous glands secrete

grease that covers the hair and skin surface, protecting them from the chemical effects of the environment and getting wet. But especially characteristic of mammals are the mammary glands, which secrete milk, which serves as food for the young. The mammary glands are modified sweat glands. The number of mammary nipples in various mammals ranges from one to ten or even more pairs. The body of most mammals is clothed hairline.

Hair is a filamentous horn formation, which is formed from the cells of the deep layers of the epidermis. It consists of a shaft protruding from the skin and a root embedded in it.

The root ends with a bulb, the multiplication of cells of which causes hair growth. The hair root is located in the so-called hair sac. The fur of most mammals is composed of two categories of hair: outer hair (longer, thicker and coarser) and downy hair (delicate, thin). A thick layer of downy hair determines mainly the heat-shielding properties of the hairline, and the outer ones protect the downy ones from wiping and rolling. On the head, paws and other places there are especially long elastic hairs - vibrissae, the roots of which are surrounded by nerve endings. They play the role of organs of touch.

For mammals in temperate and cold climates, seasonal changes in hairline - molting - are characteristic. In tropical mammals, hair changes gradually, without pronounced seasonality. The terminal phalanges of the fingers in almost all mammals bear horn formations - claws, nails or hooves. Many mammals develop horns, in the formation of which covers are involved.

3. The skeleton of adult mammals is formed by bone elements.

The notochord is well developed only in the early stages of embryonic development.

The spine is made up of vertebrae, usually with flat articular surfaces. Between them lie cartilaginous layers with remnants of the notochord.

There are usually seven cervical vertebrae. The first of them - atlas - has the form of a ring with two articular surfaces

for articulation with the condyles of the skull. The second - epistrophy - has a process directed forward, which enters the ring of the atlas. Such a connection of the vertebrae provides the mobility of the head.

There are 12 to 15 thoracic vertebrae. Well-developed ribs are attached to them, most of which fuse with the sternum with their lower cartilaginous ends, forming the chest.

There are 2 to 9 lumbar vertebrae. They bear rudimentary ribs. There are usually 3-4 sacral vertebrae, and they fuse into a single sacral bone, which provides a strong base for the attachment of the pelvic bones. The number of tail vertebrae varies. The skull of mammals is distinguished by a large braincase. It articulates with the spine with two condyles. Lower jaw formed by one dentary bone, which is attached directly to the temporal region of the skull. The shoulder girdle of the mammalian skeleton, as a rule, consists of two pairs of bones - the shoulder blades and the clavicles. The coracoid bones in almost all mammals are rudimentary and, even in the process of embryonic development, grow to the shoulder blades, forming coracoid processes. Only in platypuses and echidnas do coracoid bones retain their independence. The pelvic girdle of mammals is formed by three pairs of bones: ischial, pubic, and iliac.

According to the type of walking, there are distinguished:

plantigrade - leaning on the whole foot when walking (bears);

semi-pedigrade, in which only the forefoot is in contact with the ground (many rodents and predators);

digitigrade ~ resting only on the ends of the fingers (hoofed).

The musculature of mammals reaches great complexity and is formed by numerous individual muscles.

According to modern estimates of biologists, about 5.5 thousand species of mammals are represented in nature, and man himself completes this imaginary pyramid (together with higher primates and dolphins). The total number of their species, including extinct ones, is more than 20 thousand (on the territory modern Russia 380 species live). Home hallmark, in addition to quadrupeds and the presence of a spine, skin and hairline, is the ability to feed their babies with milk (hence the general name). At present, the importance and protection of mammals in wild nature(and even in the household) are of paramount importance for many people, because some wild species are on the verge of extinction, and some are listed in the Red Book.

Class Mammals

The importance of mammals in nature and human life is great. wild species distributed on land, air and in water almost everywhere, performing certain functions assigned to them by nature. And since ancient times they have been solving the problem of food and clothing for all mankind. Their appearance is quite diverse, but in general they correspond to the type of structure of the four-legged inhabitants of planet Earth. It is characteristic that given class is recognized by scientists as the most highly organized. And its most developed representatives, for example, dolphins, are recognized in modern science studies by carriers of the rudiments of intelligence comparable to a human. The same story is with the higher primates, who, with the help of appropriate exercises, are taught to distinguish colors, melodies and even letters, to execute the simplest commands of a person.

The value of mammals in nature

In the wild, this class performs many functions and tasks, depending on the predatory or carnivorous representatives. They are mobile and consume a large number of food, animal and vegetable, thereby already influencing environment. The importance of mammals in nature lies in the fact that they are important links in food chains. Mammalian predators deter and stabilize the reproduction and spread of carnivores. For example, wolves, generally recognized orderlies in the forest, remove weak or sickly individuals, which leads to a higher quality population of certain animals. Remove wolves from the forest, hares begin to breed, which leads to the destruction of certain tree species, as well as cultural crops. And if the foxes disappear, then the mice can multiply so that the grain will not have time to ripen in the fields. In nature, everything is interconnected, and the absence of a predator means a violation of a certain balance, originally conceived.

Environment-forming role

In this regard, the importance of mammals in nature and human life is also great. Many carnivorous mammals living in the wild are directly involved in the reproduction and development of plants, carrying seeds and fruits. And some play an invaluable role in the formation of the habitat. For example, burrowing animals - moles or others - loosen the soil, saturating it with air, helping to increase the fertility and reproduction of plants and other less developed animals: insects, arachnids. In turn, this contributes to the filling of the food chain for birds of various species. And the activities of construction beavers can change water regimes and the habitat landscape itself.

rodents

The importance of mammals in nature and human life is not always so great, and some of the representatives of the class cause great harm to humanity. So, for example, rodents are a real misfortune of fields sown with cereals, cultivated by people for a long time. Mouse-like damage many crops of agricultural plants, eat stems and foliage, grains and fruits. And yet, many rodents are carriers of diseases that are deadly for both humans and domestic animals. Scientists believe that the European plague epidemics in the Middle Ages, for example, were provoked by a huge population of rats and mice that inhabited cities and villages. IN modern world rats and mice also cause significant harm, damaging communications laid in tunnels and underground: electrical wiring, television and Internet communications.

The importance of mammals in human life

But still, some mammals bring great benefits to humans. It's about about pets tamed by people in time immemorial. Animal husbandry itself as an industry economic activity, is born when people begin to lead a more sedentary way of life. catches some wild animals, gradually taming them to domestic living conditions. Produced original at first unconsciously. A person selects and leaves for procreation and breeding of the most healthy and strong animals with valuable qualities that are fixed in subsequent generations. Then people began to use the already conscious selection and crossing of mammals to develop resistant breeds. So varieties were bred with qualities many times greater than their wild counterparts. For example, the ancestors of cows are females European tour- fed the offspring for about three months after his birth. And modern dairy breeds can prolong this process up to 10 months (maximum recorded - up to a year). At the same time, they give much more milk in a single serving of feeding. Thus, the importance of mammals in human life is increasing with the use of modern technologies.

Protein food

Sadly for some animal species, humans need protein to function properly. And the most accessible and satisfying it is found in the meat of animals. Choice ancient man fell on some species of mammals as a result of trial and error. The meat of predators was too tough and had a very characteristic unpleasant odor. Bird meat was consumed, but the capture of some, depending on their size, was not very productive. The meat of mammals leading a carnivorous lifestyle turned out to be one of the most best options both in terms of animal size and taste. It all started with a hunt. Then some species of animals were caught (for example, ungulates: pigs, tours) and began to be bred artificially. So there were domesticated, once tamed mammals eaten.

Milk products

One of the most ancient is the importance of mammals for humans as producers of such a nutritious product as milk. In the east - koumiss and camel milk, in the west - sheep, goat and cow milk. And fermented milk products: kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, cheese - another global importance of mammals for humans. To this day, cheeses produced in Europe, oriental ayran and suluguni, Slavic fermented baked milk, sour cream and cottage cheese are quoted all over the world. Invented so that milk could be stored longer, they have become full-fledged and full-fledged consumer products for all mankind.

Practical clothes and shoes

In times when there were no supermarkets and boutiques, people also had to protect their bodies from the cold. Skins, first of wild, and then of domesticated animals, became an excellent way. It was they who became a reliable and everyday shelter from winter chills. After people realized that it was not at all necessary to kill the animal in order to achieve the corresponding goals, they began to cut the wool, using it as a clothing material.

On the farm

The importance of mammals in the economy as a draft force is great. When there were no machines and mechanisms to help move on land, horses, camels, mules and donkeys replaced these devices for a person, moving him over rather long distances (as well as delivering all sorts of goods). Caravans connected trading countries, and cavalry troops won decisive battles. Today, in the century high technology, the importance of mammals in nature and human life seems to fade into the background, but still remains one of the fundamental factors in the development of civilization.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLASS MAMMALS

Mammals are the highest homoiothermic vertebrates. Their body is covered with hair. The skin is elastic, rich in sebaceous and sweat glands.

The presence of mammary glands is characteristic, the secret of which the cub is fed. The axial skeleton is characterized by the presence of seven cervical vertebrae. The teeth are differentiated into incisors, canines and molars, strengthened by roots in the alveoli.

The body cavity is secondary, divided by the diaphragm into the thoracic and abdominal sections. Digestive system differentiated, well developed caecum. Excretory organs - secondary kidneys. The cloaca is absent. Respiratory organs - lungs having an alveolar structure. The circulatory system is closed. The heart is four-chambered, two circles of blood circulation. Only the left aortic arch is preserved. Erythrocytes are non-nuclear.

The brain has big sizes, its hemispheres are covered with gray matter - the bark. The midbrain is formed by the quadrigemina. The sense organs are well developed. The organ of hearing is formed by the inner, middle and outer ear. There are three auditory ossicles in the middle ear - the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

Mammals have separate sexes. Males have paired testes, females have paired ovaries. Fertilization is internal, development is direct. The embryo develops (with the exception of oviparous) in a special organ - the uterus. Distributed everywhere. They are of great economic importance.

Mammals are distributed throughout the world. Being part of a wide variety of biogeocenoses of land and seas, they are to a greater or lesser extent lesser degree affect their animal and vegetable world. In food chains, they are either consumers of primary biomass (herbivores) or secondary consumers (carnivores). The activity of mammals is of great importance in the stability of biogeocenoses. herbivorous mammals can have a significant impact on the species composition of the vegetation of meadows and pastures.

Some mammals (hedgehogs, the bats) can act as population regulators of insects and mouse-like rodents.

Mammals in nature contribute to the dispersal of seeds, spores various plants enrich the soil with organic matter.

Mammals play an important role as a reservoir of pathogens. various diseases man and animals.

Mammals are also of great economic importance. Many species of them have valuable fur and are objects of trade (sable, squirrel, beaver, marten, seal, fox, hare, etc.), or are bred in fur farms (mink, arctic fox, silver fox, etc.)

Some species of mammals (mice, rats, ground squirrels, hamsters) feed on cereals and, with a large number of their populations, can cause significant material damage.

Mammals are of great importance as a source of food for humans (meat, milk), technical raw materials (skins, wool). Biologically active substances are obtained from mammalian organs: hormones, enzymes. Mammals are widely used as laboratory animals.

FARM ANIMALS OF THE CLASS OF MAMMALS

The most important of the farm animals in human life are: cattle, small cattle, pigs, horses.

Cows come from the South Russian (European) and Indo-Turkestan (Asian) aurochs. The domestication of the tour took place 8 thousand years BC. The selection of cattle went in 3 directions: to obtain dairy, beef and working cattle.

Dairy breeds - Kholmogory, Yaroslavl, Red Steppe give up to 5000 kg of milk with a fat content of 3.7-3.8%.

From meat breeds Astrakhan, Shortgor, Kalmyk are known. Dairy and beef cows include Simmental,

Kostroma. They have a mass of up to 800 kg, milk yield reaches 4.7 thousand liters.

SMALL CATTLE

To petty cattle include sheep and goats. Breeds of domestic sheep are descended from the wild European ram. Domestication took place around 9 thousand years BC. Currently, more than 150 breeds of domestic sheep are known. They are bred for the purpose of obtaining wool, skins, meat, milk.

Coarse-wooled breeds of sheep (Romanovskaya, Karakulskaya) have wool consisting of an awn and down. Fur coats, tanned sheepskin coats are sewn from the skins of these sheep. Karakul lambs sew fur coats and hats from skins. Fur coats are sewn from the skins of semi-fine-fleeced sheep, collars are made.

Fine-wool sheep have long, thin, downy wool. Academician N.F. Ivanov bred one of the best fine-wool breeds - Askani, giving up to 30 kg per year. wool.

Pig breeding is an important branch of agriculture. Pigs originate from the wild boar, widespread in Europe, North America, temperate latitudes Asia. In Europe, they were domesticated at the end of the Neolithic. One of best breeds is the English Large White, Ukrainian Steppe White. The latter was bred by Acad. M.F. Ivanov from crossing a white English and a "mongbred" Ukrainian. The breed is characterized by high precocity, good fertility. The mass of pigs of this breed reaches 300 kg. The Liven and Breit breeds also have high qualities.

Domestic horses - are descended from the wild Przewalski's horse. Horses are used to perform various work, riding; meat - for food, and mare's milk - for making koumiss. Currently, there are more than 100 breeds of horses. All breeds can be divided into 2 types - northern, heavier and southern - light.

In our country, Vladimir heavy trucks were bred and bred, capable of carrying a load of more than 10 tons. In Russia, such race breeds were bred: Don, Tersk, Budenov, and the Oryol trotter from light harnesses.

Southern horse breeds are mostly riding. These are Arab, Akhal-Teke, Kabardian trotters.

Common features of the class Mammals

mammals- the most highly organized class of vertebrates. The combination of many progressive features determined the high level common organization and allowed mammals to spread widely across the Earth. Terrestrial species predominate among them. In addition, there are flying, semi-aquatic, aquatic and soil inhabitants.

Mammals are characterized by the following features:

1. They feed the young with milk, which is produced by the mammary glands of the mother (hence the name of the class of mammals)

2. Have a permanent high temperature body

3. The body is covered with hair (wool), which contributes to the preservation of heat

4. The fetus develops in the womb, which gives birth to live babies

5. High level development of the nervous system, primarily well-developed brain, complex behavior.

6. There is an external ear - an auricle.

Origin of Mammals

It is believed that mammals are descended from animal-toothed lizards - a group of ancient reptiles that lived more than 200 million years ago.

The oldest mammals are studied by fossil remains. One of the first mammals could be Melanodon. The fossil finds of this animal are among the most ancient mammals. It is believed that Melanodon was a small animal, outwardly similar to a rat.

Some of the ancient mammals known to us from fossils are the ancestors of modern species. Others have no successors and have long since died out.

The value of Mammals in nature and human life

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A source of information: Biology in tables and diagrams. / Edition 2e, - St. Petersburg: 2004.