Chapter 6 - Regulation/Adaptation: Control Aspects of Ecological Systems

Abstract

This chapter addresses regulation/adaptation, one of the core ecological system functions, in detail. Regulation/adaptation provides system control. The chapter begins with a discussion of the general principles of system control, and then focuses on the control of biological and ecological systems. Biological systems exhibit homeostatic control (i.e., maintaining the same standing or remaining the same). Ecological systems, however, are controlled in a homeorhetic sense (i.e., maintaining similar, but pulsing, dynamical behavior). The three core functions of the ecological system dynamics framework are an interacting set. The interactions among the regulation/adaptation function and the other core functions are explored. The interaction outcomes strongly suggest and support the prevalence of fluctuating dynamics in ecosystems.