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14. Complex life
| 14.5 |
The growing battle within- the immune system |
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As life has become more complex, so too has the battle for survival. Not only did the requirement for adaption in physical structure require new ideas to survive external threats, but new internal systems had to be considered to withstand new internal threats- the parasite. |
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| 14.5.1 | The old method- poison | |
| To simple organisms, the threat of internal attack is limited by the nature of the hard outer shell. In addition the simplicity of internal cellular design has allowed many of these creatures to develop toxic chemical reactions to internal invaders, without affecting the overall performance of the organism. | ||
| In contrast, the battle to overcome the external environment ( larger body mass, skin etc) opened up greater internal risk to infection (parasitic attack). No longer could poison be used as primary method of response to internal attack. | ||
| Parasites gaining entry through the gaps between the platted, surface of the proto-reptile creatures could get in and quickly work towards the prized soft body cells containing mitochondria and nutrients. | ||
| A new method of response (immune response) to internal attack needed to be created. | ||
| 14.5.2 | The development of the immune system | |
| As we will see, one of the defining points of complex- vertebrate creatures is their sophisticated internal immune system capable of seeking out internal parasitic attacks and creating responses to destroy the invaders and protect the colony. | ||
| We will also see that the immune system of vertebrates has developed to such an extent that even the trojan horse virus program attack on vertebrate cells can be traced by a sophisticated internal immune system. | ||
| Without the adaptability of response of the immune system, complex organisms would not have emerged. | ||
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