ECOSYSTEM ADAPTATION: DO ECOSYSTEMS MAXIMIZE RESILIENCE?

摘要: The response of an ecological system to perturbation can be described in terms its resilience, essentially a measure the time takes return prior state. resilience ecosystem is result interactions biota and their environment will therefore change as evolve environmental conditions change. Ecological systems exist within constraints thermodynamic laws that pre- scribe transfer energy. Ecologically defined ''thermodynamic imperatives,'' such entropy, exergy, ascendency, provide whole-ecosystem selection pressures con- strain evolution individuals addition individual evolution. essence these may captured by metrics. We have used ''genetic algorithm'' optimize metrics, sim- ulating adaptation model biota. Our simulations suggest hypothesis that, external genetic potential constituent biota, ecosystems state most resilient perturbation.