Systemic Management 7
Sustainable human interactions with ecosystems and the biosphere, part 7
A book by Charles W. Fowler
Sustainable human interactions with ecosystems and the biosphere, part 7
Chapter 2
Patterns among species: information
“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall teach thee; or speak to the earth and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.“ — Job 12:127–8
I.e., listen to Nature who “has all the answers,” [H.T. Odum].
Species, like everything else, show variation, but always variation confined by limits. Variation among species occurs within any set of species whether it is a taxonomic group, a community, a guild, a species within a given ecosystem, or species of a particular body size. Linking information with management is of crucial importance. This involves finding patterns consonant with management questions.
“A species has got to know its limitations” — Nature
Science in search of explanation often emphasizes ecological mechanics and the flow of materials and energy (thermodynamics). Their importance is recognized in combination with evolutionary forces — all contributing to the emergence of macroecological patterns.
Get right with Mother or be selected out of the Gaian system.
List of articles in this book review series: Systemic Management.