Systems ecology is an interdisciplinary field of ecology, taking a holistic approach to the study of ecological systems, especially ecosystems. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( In Academia, Pedagogy, Physical sciences, Earth sciences, Human sciences and Social sciences Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of Distinguish from the suffix -holism, which describes addictions An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( Systems ecology can be seen as an application of general systems theory to ecology. Systems theory is an Interdisciplinary field of Science and the study of the nature of Complex systems in Nature, Society, and Central to the systems ecology approach is the idea that an ecosystem is a complex system exhibiting emergent properties. This article describes complex system as a type of system For other meanings see Complex systems. Systems ecology focuses on interactions and transactions within and between biological and ecological systems, and is especially concerned with the way the functioning of ecosystems can be influenced by human interventions. It uses and extends concepts from thermodynamics and develops other macroscopic descriptions of complex systems. In Physics, thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη therme meaning " Heat " and δυναμις dynamis meaning "
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Overview
Systems ecology seeks a holistic view of the interactions and transactions within and between biological and ecological systems. Systems ecologists realise that the function of any ecosystem can be influenced by human economics in fundamental ways. They have therefore taken an additional transdisciplinary step by including economics in the consideration of ecological-economic systems. Ecological economics is a Transdisciplinary field of academic research within Economics that aims to address the interdependence between human economies and natural In the words of R. L. Kitching:[1]
- Systems ecology can be defined as the approach to the study of ecology of organisms using the techniques and philosophy of systems analysis: that is, the methods and tools developed, largely in engineering, for studying, characteriszing and making predictions about complex entities, that is, systems. .
- In any study of an ecological system, an essential early procedure is to draw a diagram of the system of interest . . . diagrams indicate the system's boundaries by a solid line. Within these boundaries, series of components are isolated which have been chosen to represent that portion of the world in which the systems analyst is interested . . . If there are no connections across the systems' boundaries with the surrounding systems environments, the systems are described as closed. Ecological work, however, deals almost exclusively with open systems. [2]
As a mode of scientific enquiry a central feature of Systems Ecology is the general application of the principles of energetics to all systems at any scale. Energetics is the scientific study of energy flows and storages under transformation Perhaps the most notable proponent of this view was Howard T. Odum - sometimes considered the father of ecosystems ecology. Howard Thomas Odum (1924 Chapel Hill North Carolina &ndash2002 Gainesville Florida) (also known as Tom or just H In this approach the principles of energetics constitute ecosystem principles. Energetics is the scientific study of energy flows and storages under transformation Reasoning by formal analogy from one system to another enables the Systems Ecologist to see principles functioning in an analogous manner across system-scale boundaries. H. T. Odum commonly used the Energy Systems Language as a tool for making systems diagrams and flow charts. The Energy Systems Language (right also referred to as Energese, Energy Circuit Language and Generic Systems Symbols, was developed by the Ecologist
The fourth of these principles, the principle of maximum power efficiency, takes central place in the analysis and synthesis of ecological systems. The fourth principle suggests that the most evolutionarily advantageous system function occurs when the environmental load matches the internal resistance of the system. The further the environmental load is from matching the internal resistance, the further the system is away from its sustainable steady state. Therefore the systems ecologist engages in a task of resistance and impedance matching in ecological engineering, just as the electronic engineer would do. Ecological Engineering is an emerging of study integrating Ecology and Engineering, concerned with the design monitoring and construction of Ecosystems Electronic engineering is a discipline dealing with the behavior and effects of Electrons (as in electron tubes and transistors and with electronic devices systems or equipment
Summary of relationships in systems ecology
The image to the right is a summary of relationships between the storage quantity Q, the forces X, N, and the outflows J, resistance R, conductivity L, time constants T, and transfer coefficients k of ecosystem metabolism. The transfer coefficient "k", is also known as the metabolic constant.
- "All these relationships are automatically implied by the energy circuit symbol ". The Energy Systems Language (right also referred to as Energese, Energy Circuit Language and Generic Systems Symbols, was developed by the Ecologist [3]
Closely related fields
Deep Ecology
Deep Ecology is a school of philosophy pioneered by the Norwegian Philosopher, Gandhian scholar and environmental activist Arne Naess. Deep ecology is a recent branch of ecological Philosophy ( Ecosophy) that considers Humankind an integral part of its environment. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Arne Naess may refer to Arne Næss (born 1912 philosopher mountaineer and founder of Deep ecology Arne Næss Jr Created in 1973 at an environmental conference in Budapest, it argues that the school of environmental management is anthropocentric, that the natural environment is not only "more complex than we imagine, it is more complex than we can imagine"[4]. Environmental Management is not as the phrase could suggest the management of the environment as such but rather the management of interaction by the modern human societies Concerned with the development of an "ecological self", which views the human ego as a part of a living system, rather than apart from such systems, "Experiential Deep Ecology" of Joanna Macy, John Seed and others, seeks to transcend altruism with a deeper self-interest, based upon biospherical equality beyond human chauvinism. Ecological self is central to the school of Experiential Deep Ecology, which based on the work of Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss, argues that through Joanna Rogers Macy (sometimes listed as Joanna R Macy or Joanna Marie Macy; b John Seed is an Australian Environmentalist and director of the Rainforest Information Centre which successfully campaigned to save the sub-tropical Altruism is selfless concern for the welfare of others It is a traditional Virtue in many cultures and central to many religious traditions
Earth systems engineering and management
Earth systems engineering and management (ESEM) is a discipline used to analyze, design, engineer and manage complex environmental systems. Earth systems engineering and management (ESEM is a discipline used to analyze design engineer and manage complex environmental Systems It entails a wide range See also Nature The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a terminology that is comprised of all living and System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek systēma is a set of interacting or interdependent Entities, real or abstract It entails a wide range of subject areas including anthroplogy, engineering, environmental science, ethics and philosophy. Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical chemical and biological components of the environment. At its core, ESEM looks to "rationally design and manage coupled human-natural systems in a highly integrated and ethical fashion"
Ecological economics
Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary field of academic research that addresses the dynamic and spatial interdependence between human economies and natural ecosystems. Ecological economics is a Transdisciplinary field of academic research within Economics that aims to address the interdependence between human economies and natural An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( Ecological economics brings together and connects different disciplines, within the natural and social sciences but especially between these broad areas. As the name suggests, the field is made up of researchers with a background in economics and ecology. Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of An important motivation for the emergence of ecological economics has been criticism on the assumptions and approaches of traditional (mainstream) environmental and resource economics. Environmental economics is a subfield of Economics concerned with environmental issues
Ecological energetics
Ecological energetics is the quantitative study of the flow of energy through ecological systems. Ecological energetics is the quantitative study of the flow of energy through ecological systems It aims to uncover the principles which describe the propensity of such energy flows through the trophic, or 'energy availing' levels of ecological networks. A personal and cultural value is a Relative ethic value, an assumption upon which implementation can be extrapolated In systems ecology the principles of ecosystem energy flows or "ecosystem laws" (i. e. principles of ecological energetics) are considered formally analogous to the principles of energetics. Energetics is the scientific study of energy flows and storages under transformation
Ecological humanities
Ecological humanities aims to bridge the divides between the sciences and the humanities, and between Western, Eastern and Indigenous ways of knowing nature. The ecological humanities are a recent development by Deborah Bird Rose and colleagues in the Humanities which has grown out of the concerns of radical Ecocentric Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various Cultures social structures and philosophical systems of " the East " The term Indigenous Peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any Ethnic group who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest historical Like ecocentric political theory, the ecological humanities are characterised by a connectivity ontology and a commitment to two fundamental axioms relating to the need to submit to ecological laws and to see humanity as part of a larger living system. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of
Ecosystem ecology
Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of biotic and Abiotic components of Ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework Life is a state that distinguishes Organisms from non-living objects such as non-life and dead organisms being manifested by growth through Metabolism In Biology, abiotic components are non-living Chemical and Physical factors in the environment. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. Bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet usually the Earth. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Ecosystem ecology examines physical and biological structure and examines how these ecosystem characteristics interact]]
The relationship between systems ecology and ecosystem ecology is complex. Much of systems ecology can be considered a subset of ecosystem ecology. Ecosystem ecology also utilizes methods that have little to do with the holistic approach of systems ecology. However, systems ecology more actively considers external influences such as economics that usually fall outside the bounds of ecosystem ecology. Whereas ecosystem ecology can be defined as the scientific study of ecosystems, systems ecology is more of a particular approach to the study of ecological systems and phenomena that interact with these systems.
Industrial ecology
Industrial ecology is the study of industrial process as linear (open loop) systems, in which resource and capital investments move through the system to become waste, to a closed loop system where wastes become inputs for new processes. Industrial Ecology (IE is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the sustainable combination of environment, Economy and Technology.
See also
References
- ^ R. Ecological literacy (also referred to as ecoliteracy) is the ability to understand the natural systems that make Life on Earth possible The term Emergy was originally coined by David M Scienceman in collaboration with the late Howard T Energetics is the scientific study of energy flows and storages under transformation The Energy Systems Language (right also referred to as Energese, Energy Circuit Language and Generic Systems Symbols, was developed by the Ecologist Holism in science, or Holistic science, is an approach to Research that emphasizes the study of Complex systems. Landscape ecology is the science and art of studying and improving the relationship between spatial pattern and ecological processes on a multitude of scales and organizational levels (Wu 2006 2008 L. Kitching 1983, p. 9.
- ^ (Kitching 1983, p. 11)
- ^ H. T. Odum 1994, p. 26.
- ^ A statement attributed to British biologist J.B.S. Haldane
Literature
- Gregory Bateson, Steps to an Ecology of Mind, 2000. John Burdon Sanderson Haldane FRS ( 5 November 1892 &ndash 1 December 1964) known as Jack (but who used 'J Gregory Bateson ( 9 May 1904 – 4 July 1980) was a British anthropologist, social scientist, linguist
- Kenneth Edmund Ferguson, Systems Analysis in Ecology, WATT, 1966, 276 pp.
- Efraim Halfon, Theoretical Systems Ecology: Advances and Case Studies, 1979.
- J. W. Haefner, Modeling Biological Systems: Principles and Applications, London. , UK, Chapman and Hall 1996, 473 pp.
- Richard F Johnston, Peter W Frank, Charles Duncan Michener, Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 1976, 307 pp.
- R. L. Kitching, Systems ecology, University of Queensland Press, 1983.
- Howard T. Odum, Systems Ecology: An Introduction, Wiley-Interscience, 1983. Howard Thomas Odum (1924 Chapel Hill North Carolina &ndash2002 Gainesville Florida) (also known as Tom or just H
- Howard T. Odum, Ecological and General Systems: An Introduction to Systems Ecology. University Press of Colorado, Niwot, CO, 1994.
- Friedrich Recknagel, Applied Systems Ecology: Approach and Case Studies in Aquatic Ecology, 1989.
- James. Sanderson & Larry D. Harris, Landscape Ecology: A Top-down Approach, 2000, 246 pp.
- Sheldon Smith, Human Systems Ecology: Studies in the Integration of Political Economy, 1989.
External links
Organisations
- Systems Ecology Department at the Stockholm University.
- Systems Ecology Department at the University of Amsterdam.
- Systems ecology Lab at SUNY-ESF.
- Systems Ecology program at the University of Florida
- Terrestrial Systems Ecology of ETH Zurich.
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