Structure, function, control: a system-constructive approach.

Abstract

A general biological concept of the unity of structure and function in biological systems at all levels of their organization-cell, tissue, organ and organism-is well known. However, the constructive contents of such unity remain unclear. It appears that until we learn to separate and allocate structural and functional problems of biological systems construction, we cannot understand how this unity is reached. Or else, there is a methodological problem: how to separate and to allocate the basic categories of biological self-organization? Here, we consider different biological tissues in order to separate, in the first place, the basic concepts-structure, function, control-as independent systems which have their own referents. Then to solve the problem of association, a concept of "equipment" is introduced: the structure is equipped with function, the function is equipped with control. As a result, any elementary cycle of bioorganization is represented as a sequence of phases: (1) formation of structural basis, (2) functional equipment of structure, (3) libernetical equipment of function-differentiation of variability freedoms, (4) establishment of control to overcome the superfluous freedom of structural and functional organization.