Everything about Systems Ecology totally explained
Systems ecology is an
interdisciplinary field of
ecology, taking a
holistic approach to the study of ecological systems, especially
ecosystems. Systems ecology can be seen as an application of
general systems theory to ecology. Central to the systems ecology approach is the idea that an ecosystem is a
complex system exhibiting
emergent properties. 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.
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. In the words of R.L. Kitching:
- 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.
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. Perhaps the most notable proponent of this view was
Howard T. Odum - sometimes considered the father of ecosystems ecology. In this approach the principles of energetics constitute
ecosystem principles. 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 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.
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 ".
Closely related fields
Deep Ecology
Deep Ecology is a school of
philosophy pioneered by the Norwegian Philosopher,
Gandhian scholar and
environmental activist Arne Naess. Created in 1973 at an environmental conference in Budapest, it argues that the school of
environmental management is
anthropocentric, that the natural environment isn't only "more complex than we imagine, it's more complex than we can imagine". 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.
Earth systems engineering and management
Earth systems engineering and management (ESEM) is a discipline used to analyze, design, engineer and manage
complex environmental systems. It entails a wide range of subject areas including anthroplogy, engineering,
environmental science, ethics and philosophy. 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 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. An important motivation for the emergence of ecological economics has been criticism on the assumptions and approaches of traditional (mainstream)
environmental and resource economics.
Ecological energetics
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. In
systems ecology the principles of ecosystem energy flows or "ecosystem laws" (for example principles of ecological energetics) are considered formally analogous to the
principles of energetics.
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. 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.
Ecosystem ecology
Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of
biotic and
abiotic components of
ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This
science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as
chemicals,
bedrock,
soil,
plants, and
animals. 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Systems Ecology'.
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