dynamic and control of nature (2010)
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Dynamic and Control of Nature
“Balance of Natur
e” “Chaos!”
The Devine Power: Genesis
BBA Part1_3 (Gajaseni, 2009)BBA Part1_3 (Gajaseni, 2009) 44
Dynamic of the Physical Earth: Plate Tectonic
Is the geological evolution still continuing?
BBA Part1_3 (Gajaseni, 2009)BBA Part1_3 (Gajaseni, 2009) 55
Dynamic of Biological
EarthHow do they live How do they live together on the together on the
planet?planet?
Natural selection
66
Man-made environmentMan-made environmentBiotic environmentBiotic environment
Physical environmentPhysical environment
Local Region Country GlobalDistance Distance FutureFuture
Intermediate Intermediate FutureFuture
PresentPresent
Ultimate goal???
Spatio-temporalSpatio-temporal dynamic of dynamic of
the environment!the environment!
77
Solar capital Energy budgetEnergy in = Energy out
Earth capital
Water budget
Water up = Water down
Environmental dynamic
at various spatio-temporal scales!
The Gaia hypothesis (Lovelock,
1979)
‘The biosphere is a self-regulating entity with the capacity to keep
the Earth healthy by controlling the
chemical and physical
environment.’
Can we “falsify” the
Gaia hypothesis by
“scientific method”?
Yes, no,
or
unlikely!
Comparative study of the atmosphere of
the Earth, Venus and Mar
• 2 2Low CO and high O and N of the Earth VS. the reverse on Venuu and uuu
• uuu uuu uu uu uuu uuuuu uuuuuuuuuu022• uuuuuu uuuuuuuuu uu uuuuuuuuuuu uuuu uuuu uuuu: the builtup
2ofO and 2reduction of CO• uuuuuuu uuuuuuuu uuuuu uuu uuuuuuuuuu uu uuu uuuuu uuuuuuuu
- re wi thout l i fe Ni trogenFi xers
Comparative study of the at mosphere
of the Earth, Venus and Mar (continue)• Without chemical transformation by
biotic community, soils and waters w ould be so acidic that only few organi -sms now on the Earth could survive
-no life support• A variety of specialized microorganis
ms keep the vital compounds movin g between organic and inorganic sta
tes,• Without “buffering capacities” by th
e biotic community, physical factors fluctuation and conditions on the Ear
-th would be similar to Venus very ho t, with no oxygen in the atmosphere.
Gaia is Gaia is ““non-sense”!non-sense”!
Domination of the Earth by human mind or
“Noosphere!”
Vernadsky, 1945
What would be the best survival
strategy? Non believer– business as usual
– if the hypothesis i s false - fine no p
roblem– if the hypothesis i
-s true face the j udgement day
Believer– Respect the Mother E
arth– Protect the Earth’s n
-orm biodiversity– if the hypothesis is fals
-e fine no problem– if the hypothesis is true
- the Mother Earth mi ght “buffer” the imp acts of global change
-s -Life support-Life support!
Hierarchy of Nature
Ecol ogi cal hi erarchy
Biological hierarchy
-Chemical phy sical hierarc
hy
Each level possess control mechanism! Deviation at higher level will be less! therefore, Higher level sets constrain to lower levels!
Controls in Ecological Hierarchy
Resilience vs. Resistance
Resilience: The ability of a system to
return to its original
position after disturbance.
Resistance: The ability of a system to
resist disturbance. “Which one we are very familiar with?”
Control of Ecosystem b y Organisms
Top down vs. Bottom u p controls
Top down = predation
Bottom up = nu trients,
photosynthesis
Feedback Controls: Positive and negative
Input Output
System
Input Output
System
1ry Sub-system
2ry Sub-system
OutputGoal
System
ControllerInput
Sub-system being controlled
Control specification
Redundancy in functional
components
• Different components with similar function
• These components can compensate for one another
• Providing alternative pathways for energy flow and material cycling
• Achieve controlled response without feedback
Conclusion
‘Because of the functional
redundancy in ecosystem, therefore,
decreasing in biotic
components will have no effect on control of
the ecosystem!’
Right or Wrong?
Greenhouse gassesdisrupt energy balance!What would be the
consequences?