Sven Erik Jørgensen

Integration of Ecosystem Theories: A Pattern (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Ecosystems are still a puzzle for mankind. We would like to be able to know their reactions and control them, but repeatedly we have been surprised by their unexpected reactions to our somewhat hasty actions. We unfortunately have to admit that our present knowledge about ecosystems and their true nature is rather limited. Many excellent contributions to a more profound understanding of ecosystems have been launched during the last two decades, but if you do not know the field, it looks as if all the presented ecosystem theories are in complete discord with each other. However, ecosystems are extremely complex and only a pluralistic view will be able to reveal their basic properties. The different approaches therefore have much in common, when you go deeper into the core material, than the first superficial more glance will be able to tell and there is therefore a natural need for a unification of the various approaches to ecosystem theories. It has for many years been my desire to attempt to make a unification of the many excellent thoughts, ideas and observations about ecosystems, that scientists have contributed. These thoughts, ideas and hypotheses have not been made in vain.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer Netherlands
• Seitenzahl: 383
• Erscheinungstermin: 6. Dezember 2012
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9789401126823
• Artikelnr.: 44176509

Autorenporträt

Prof. Sven Erik Jørgensen is one of the two distinguished ecologists to receive the 2004 Stockholm Water Prize for Outstanding Contributions for the World's Lakes and Wetlands, "for their pioneering development and global dissemination of ecological models of lakes and wetlands, widely applied as effective tools in sustainable water resource management". The full text of the release plus photos and background can be found at http: www.siwi.org or http://www.siwi.org/press/presrel_04_SWP_Winner_Eng.htm

Inhaltsangabe

1. Introduction: Recent Trends In Science.- 1.1 How Did It start.- 1.2 Physics versus Ecology.- 1.3 Ecology and Physics.- 1.4 Recent Trends in Science.- 1.5. The Ecosystem as an Object of Research.- 2. Do We Need A New, Holistic Ecology.- 2.1 Two Ecologies.- 2.2 Complexity of Ecosystems.- 2.3 Ecology and Quantum Theory.- 3. Models In Ecology.- 3.1 Modelling in Ecology.- 3.2 Modelling Elements.- 3.3 The Modelling Procedure.- 3.4 Types of Models.- 3.5 Complexity of Models.- 3.6 Modelling Constraints and Recent Developments in Ecological Modelling.- 3.7 Application of Models as Scientific, Experimental Tools.- 4. Energy And Ecology.- 4.1 Conservation of Energy and Matter.- 4.2 Energy Flows in Ecosystems.- 4.3 The Maximum Power Principle.- 4.4 Embodied Energy / Emergy.- 5. Entropy And Ecology.- 5.1 The Second Law of Thermodynamics Applied to Ecosystems.- 5.2 Information and Entropy.- 5.3 Ecosystems Generate Entropy.- 5.4 Ecosystems are Non-isolated Systems.- 5.5 Energy Sources and Sinks Establish Order.- 5.6 Self-organization.- 5.7 The Maximum Entropy and Maximum Energy Dissipation Theory.- 6. Exergy And Ecology.- 6.1 The Application of Exergy in Ecological Thermodynamics.- 6.2 Exergy and Information.- 6.3 Application of the Third Law of Thermodynamics in Ecosystem Theory.- 6.4 Application of Exergy in Ecosystem Theory and Darwin's Theory.- 6.5 Computation of Exergy.- 6.6 Exergy and Modelling.- 6.7 The Tentative Fourth Law of Thermodynamics.- 7. Network And Hierarchical Concepts Of Ecosystems.- 7.1 Networks in Ecology.- 7.2 Networks Concepts.- 7.3 Hierarchical Theory of Ecosystems.- 7.4 Network Thermodynamics.- 8. Utility Theory, Indirect Effect And Ascendancy.- 8.1 Towards a wider Application of Network Theory.- 8.2 Energy Transfer and Utilization Coefficients inNetworks.- 8.3 The Indirect Effects in Networks.- 8.4 Ascendancy.- 9. Catastrophe Theory And Ecology.- 9.1 What is Applied Catastrophe Theory.- 9.2 Application of Catastrophe Theory to Explain Shifts in Oxygen Concentration as Function of Time in a Stream.- 9.3 Application of Catastrophe Theory on a Lake Ecosystem.- 9.4 General Application of Catastrophe Theory in Ecology.- 9.5 Ecosystems and Catastrophe Theory.- 10. Chaos, Fractals And Ecology.- 10.1 Introduction and Definitions.- 10.2 Bifurcation and Fractal Dimension.- 10.3 Ecological Implications.- 10.4 Parameter Estimations and Chaos.- 11. Ecosystem Health.- 11.1 Ecosystem Health and Integrity.- 11.2 Ecosystem Integrity and Environmental Changes.- 11.3 Exergy, Structural Exergy and Buffer Capacities as Ecological Indicators.- 11.4 A Practical Procedure to Assess (Partially) Ecosystem Health.- 11.5 Assessment of Ecosystem Health, An Example, A Lake Ecosystem.- 11.6 Agroecological Sustainability and Ecosystem Maturity.- 12. Development Of Ecosystems.- 12.1 Development and Evolution of Ecosystems.- 12.2 Development (Growth) of Ecosystems.- 12.3 Response of Growth to Seasonal Changes.- 12.4 Ecosystem Properties.- 13. Dynamic Of Ecosystems.- 13.1 Ecosystem Dynamic.- 13.2 Modelling Structural Dynamics.- 13.3 Constraints on Ecological Parameters.- 13.4 Application of Exergy as Goal Function in Ecological Modelling.- 13.5 Structurally Dynamic Models of Ecosystems.- 13.6 The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH) and Structural Dynamic Models.- 13.7 Structural Dynamic Models in Population Dynamics.- 13.8 Conclusions.- 14. Goal Functions, Ecological Indicators And Orientors.- 14.1 Introduction.- 14.2 Review of Goal Functions.- 14.3 Comparison of Goal Functions by Use of Models.- 14.4 Other comparisons of Goal Functions.-14.5 Cosmological Considerations.- 14.6 Exergy Storage / Exergy Destruction.- 14.7 Conclusions.- 15. A Tentative Pattern Of Ecosystem Theories.- 15.1 Presentation of a Pattern.- 15.2 A Central Law of Ecosystem Theories.- 15.3 Relations to Other Theories.- 15.4 Tools: Networks and Models.- 15.5 Propositions on Ecosystem Properties.- 15.6 The Application of ELT in Specific Cases.- 16. Towards A Consistent Ecosystem Theory.- 16.1 Introduction.- 16.2 A Reformulation.- 16.3 A Theoretical Network is needed in Ecology.- 16.4 Further Examples of Ecological Observations that can be derived from thermodynamic hypotheses.- 16.5 A consistent Pattern of Ecosystem Theories has been formed.- 16.6 A Model of the three Growth Forms.- 16.7 Closing Remarks.- 17 Epilogue.- 18. Appendix 1. Definitions Of Concepts.- 19. References.- 20. Index.