Last Update: 3 November 2017 Part I

Homeostasis in the ecosystem M - 80

Q. How homeostasis in the ecosystem is maintained through cybernetic principle? Explain ecosystem stability directly correlated
with the biodiversity. Explain ecosystem stability with reference to resistance and resilience stability. Comments on the
redundancy theory. Write a short note on Gaia hypothesis?

Homeostasis of Ecosystem
Besides energy flow and material cycle, ecosystems are rich in information networks comprising
physical and chemical communications flow that connect all parts and regulate the system as a whole.
Accordingly ecosystem can be considered cybernetic in nature, but control functions are internal and diffuse
rather than external & specified as in human engineered cybernetic devices.
Ecosystem are capable of self-maintenance and self regulation as are their component populations
and organisms. Thus cybernetics, the science of controls, has important applications in ecology especially
since man increasingly tends to disrupt natural controls or attempts to substitute artificial mechanism for
natural ones.
The word Cybernetic coined by Norbert Wiener (1946) which embraces inanimate (non living)
and animate (living) control, which is also, called servomechanism. The term cybernetic was derived from
a Greek word kybernates that means pilot or governor.
It in any system, a governor or regulator or controller is present which govern or control the system
is called cybernetic system.
The control system in an animate control is called Homeostasis. It is very common at physiological
and ecosystem level. The term is derived from two Greeks - homeo (same), stasis (standing). So
homeostasis is defined as the tendency of a system to resist change and maintain an equilibrium.
The very common example of homeostasis is thermostat - in which some output is used as negative
feed back to maintain some bind of equilibrium in a controlled quantity.
In every homeostatic system (biological system) there is a set point. In human body set point at temp
of 98.40F or 370C

Homeostasis in Ecosystem : (Cybernetic nature)

Tendency of a system to resist change and maintain an equilibrium is called homeostasis.

The science of cybernetic was

developed by Wiener (1948) & the term
was derived from the Greek Word
cybernetic (which means pilot or
governor). It is a controlled quantity
interconnected by output & input circuits
or signals. Output in controlling input.
Input of energy injection is controlling
the energy output. There are two types of
feed back -
i) Positive Feedback
ii) Negative Feedback
Cybernetic control is very common. Inanimate (non-lining) or animate, which is also called
servomechanism. But the control system in an animate control is called homeostasis. So ecosystem is a
cybernetic or homeostasis.
i) Positive feed back results into an
increase in amount. It may results into growth. It
also called deviation accelerating. In there is only
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positive feed back then it will results into itself destruction. Uncontrolled positive feed back results into
destruction.
ii) Negative feed back counteracts the action of positive feed back. If also called deviation
counteracting.

For example there is a decrease of prey population acts as the decrease of the predator population
and at the same time. The increase of predator population acts as the decrease of the prey population. Here
growth of prey population act as positive feed back for predator population and growth of predator
population equilibrium state is always necessary.
The best example of homeostasis in our body is body temperature. The excess of CO2 is absorbed by
hydrosphere. Homeostatic plateau as a series of levels or steps. As stress increases, the system although
controlled may not be able to return to exactly the same level as before.
When a system is disturbed by any influence try to got point but at a optimum level it cannot come
back to the normal set point. And then further influence stresses on the system and ultimately it reach or the
death point by crossing the upper or lower limit or by the increase or decrease of the series action.
So stability of ecosystem is maintained by
i) Cybernetics mechanism
ii) Redundancy
Redundancy : Stability of ecosystem is achieved by feed back
mechanism and also a mechanism called redundancy. When
more than one component is capable of performing same
function, that phenomenon is called redundancy. Redundancy
helps in maintaining stability. Food web is more stable than
food chain.

Structurally simple ecosystem is less stable than structurally complex ecosystem.

From ecological point of view we can identify two types of stability.

(a) Resistance Stability
(b) Resilience Stability

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Fig - Diagrammatic representation of
Resistance & Resilience Stability.

Resistance Stability The ability of

an ecosystem to resist perturbation
and maintain its normal structure
and function intact, is known as
resistance stability.
Resilience Stability The ability
of a system to recover after any
perturbation or disturbance is
known as resilience stability.
Rubber has low resistance stability
but high resilience stability.

Measure of Resilience Measure of resilience means time to recover. Measure of resistance and resilience
stability are mutually exclusive on these cannot be achieved simultaneously. It the resistance stability is high
then resilience stability is low.
As for eg- Two types of forest in California are Redwood forests and chaparral tree forest- Redwood forest
have high resistance stability with respect to tire, because of many adaptation. They cannot usually burnt
because they have thick bardle.
Chaparral trees have low resistance and high resilience. Because it recovers very quickly after burnt.
Degree of deviation from normal range operation is the measure of resistance resilience stability
a = Measure of the resistance stability.
b = Measure for resilience stability.
a + b= Total stability and more time stability is less. Evolution of CNS

Two Types of stability Increase in power, knowledge &
i) It the stability achieved after small perturbation is called local productivity
stability.
ii) It the stability achieved after all possible sources of Population explosion
perturbation different types of perturbation is called global
stability. Quantity of life is declined

Destroyed

THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS

Presence of life in the earth is not for the presence of present life in physical environment. It is
worked out by James Love lock and Lyan Margulis (1973) and they introduced a new hypothesis called the
Gaia hypothesis. He wrote a book (1979) the name belongs to Gaia- A look at the life in Earth and
subsequently (1988) he wrote The Ages of Gaia and later (1996) James Love-lock and Lyan published
The Gaia Hypothesis.
The present physical environment is not the cause of the origin of life but it is consequency (result)
origin of life. Earth is vast living system some sort of super organism system which has go its own integrate
control system and the biological control of the geochemical environment.
Gaia is the term which means the Greek Gods of the Earth. In Greek civilization many Gods present.
Gaia is one of them. But there is no scientific idea but a philosophical idea behind of this hypothesis. It is
considered that life is originated about 4 million years ago. There is no amount of O2 in the environment so
that mitial life is not dependent on O2. It was an aerobic. Prokaryotic organism only depends upon CO2. As
they evolved the amount of CO2 decreases and O2 increases. Gradually the love evolved by evolution and
photosynthetic bacteria which started to release extensive O2 our present day depend on O2. We derived our

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energy from aerobic respiration. There was a prebiotic environment origin of life Evolution of life
changed the environment still today.
Present environment is the result of initial environment. They believe the atmosphere of mars is chemically
the dead state of Equilibrium State.

According to Lovelock (1979) the following table was found-

Atmosphere Mars Earth Venus Earth without life
CO2 95% 0.03% 98%` 98%
N2 2.7% 79% 1.9% 1.9%
O2 1.3% 21% Trace Trace
0 0 0
Surface Temp -50 c 13 c 477 c 2900c
Prebiotic environment is quite different from the present environment and dominated by CO2. Earth has its
control mechanism, which contort all types of process.
This distinct of environment is not the reason of presence of life but the result of life.

Summary:
1. Geo chemical environment permit origin of life.
2. As a result of origin of life, changes of geochemical environment takes place.
3. Organism and geo chemical environment are interlinked and each is able to change to other.

It is a concept but it is not a law. It will be rejected but it helps to origin of life.

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