TOWARDS A THERMODYNAMIC THEORY FOR ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
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By S.E. Jorgensen, DFH, Miljokemi, Copenhagen, Denmark Y.M. Svirezhev, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
Description The book presents a consistent and complete ecosystem theory based on thermodynamic concepts. The first chapters are devoted to an interpretation
of the first and second law of thermodynamics in ecosystem context. Then Prigogine's use of far from equilibrium thermodynamic is used
on ecosystems to explain their reactions to perturbations. The introduction of the concept exergy makes it possible to give a more profound
and comprehensive explanation of the ecosystem's reactions and growth-patterns. A tentative fourth law of thermodynamic is formulated
and applied to facilitate these explanations. The trophic chain, the global energy and radiation balance and pattern and the reactions
of ecological networks are all explained by the use of exergy. Finally, it is discussed how the presented theory can be applied more
widely to explain ecological observations and rules, to assess ecosystem health and to develop ecological models.
Contents Preface.
1. Thermodynamics as a method: A problem of statistical description.
1.1 Literary introduction. 1.2 Ontic openness.
1.3 The scope of this volume.
2. The laws of classical thermodynamics and their application to ecology.
2.1 Introduction.
2.2 Matter and energy in mechanics and thermodynamics. Energy conservation as the first law of thermodynamics. Fundamental Gibbs Equation.
2.3 Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics: Nernst's theorem. 2.4 Maximal work which the system can perform on its environment.
Characteristic functions or thermodynamic potentials. 2.5 Chemical equilibrium, chemical affinity and standard energies of biochemical
reactions. Function of dissipation. 2.6 Illustrations of thermodynamics in ecology. 2.7 Ecosystem as a biochemical reactor. 2.8 Summary
of the important ecological issues.
3. Second and third law of thermodynamics in open systems.
3.1 Open systems and
their energy balance. 3.2 The second law of thermodynamics interpreted for open systems. 3.3 Prigogine's theorem and the evolutionary
criterion by Glansdorff-Prigogine. 3.4 The third law of thermodynamics applied on open systems. 3.5 Thermodynamics of living organisms.
3.6 Quantification of openness and allometric principles. 3.7 The temperature range needed for life processes. 3.8 Natural conditions
for life.
4. Entropy, probability and information.
4.1 Entropy and probability. 4.2 Entropy and information. 4.3 The
system as a text and its information entropy. 4.4 Diversity of biological communities. 4.5 Simple statistical models of biological communities.
4.6 Information analysis of the global vegetation pattern. 4.7 Diversity of the biosphere. 4.8 Information and evolutionary paradigm:
Selection of information. 4.9 Genetic information contained in an organism: Hierarchy of information and its redundancy. 4.10 Summary
of the important ecological issues.
5. Work, exergy and information.
5.1 The work done by a system imbedded into an
environment. 5.2 What is exergy? Different interpretations of the exergy concept. 5.3 Thermodynamic machines. 5.4 Exergy far from thermodynamic
equilibrium. 5.5 Exergy and information. 5.6 Exergy of solar radiation. 5.7 How to calculate the exergy of living organic matter? 5.8
Other methods for the exergy calculation. 5.9 Why have living systems such a high level of exergy? 5.10 Summary of the important ecological
issues.
6. Stability in mathematics, thermodynamics and ecology.
6.1 Introduction. Stability concepts in ecology and
mathematics. 6.2 Stability concept in thermodynamics and thermodynamic measures of stability. 6.3 Model approach to definitions of stability:
Formal definitions and interpretations. 6.4 Thermodynamics and dynamical systems. 6.5 On stability of zero equilibrium and its thermodynamic
interpretation. 6.6 Stability of non-trivial equilibrium and one class of Lyapunov functions. 6.7 Lyapunov function and exergy. 6.8 One
more Lyapunov function. 6.9 What kind of Lyapunov function we could construct if one or several equilibrium coordinates tends to zero.
6.10 Once more ecological example. 6.11 Problems of thermodynamic interpretation for ecological models. 6.12 Complexity versus stability.
6.13 Summary of the ecological important issues.
7. Models of ecosystems: Thermodynamic basis and methods. I. Trophic chains.
7.1 Introduction. 7.2 General thermodynamic model of ecosystem. 7.3 Ecosystem's organisation: Trophic chains. 7.4 Dynamic equations of
the trophic chain. 7.5 Prigogine-like theorems and the length of trophic chain. 7.6 The closed chains with conservation of matter. Thermodynamic
cost of biogeochemical cycle. 7.7 Complex behaviour: Cycles and chaos. 7.8 What kind of exergy dynamics are when the enrichment and thermal
pollution impact on the ecosystem? 7.9 Embodied energy (emergy). 7.10 Summary of the ecological important issues.
8. Models
of ecosystems: Thermodynamics basis and methods. II. Competition and trophic level.
8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Thermodynamics of
a competing community. 8.3 Community trajectory as a trajectory of steepest ascent. 8.4 Extreme properties of the potential W and other
potential functions. Entropy production and Prigogine-like theorems. 8.5 The system of two competing species.
8.6 Phenomenological thermodynamics
of interacting populations. 8.7 Community in the random environment and variations of Malthusian parameters. 8.8 Summary of the ecological
important issues.
9. Thermodynamics of ecological networks.
9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Topology of trophic network and qualitative
stability. 9.3 Dynamic models of trophic networks and compartmental schemes. 9.4 Ecosystem as a metabolic cycle. 9.5 MacArthur's diversity
index, trophic diversity and ascendancy as measures of organisation. 9.6 How exergy helps to organise the ecosystem. 9.7 Some dynamic
properties of trophic networks. 9.8 Stability and reactions of a bog in the temperate zone. 9.9 Summary of the ecological important issues.
10. Thermodynamics of vegetation.
10.1 Introduction. Energetics of photosynthesis. 10.2 Thermodynamic model of a vegetation
layer. Fluxes of heat, water vapour and other gases. 10.3 Energy balance of a vegetation layer and the energy efficiency coefficient.
10.4 Thermodynamic model of vegetation: Internal entropy production. 10.5 Vegetation as an active surface: The solar energy degradation
and the entropy of solar energy. 10.6 Vegetation as an active surface: Exergy of solar radiation. 10.7 Simplified energy and entropy
balances in the ecosystem. 10.8 Entropy overproduction as a criterion of the degradation of natural ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure.
10.9 Energy and chemical loads or how to convolute the vector data. 10.10 Summary of the ecological important issues.
11. Thermodynamics
of the biosphere.
11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Comparative analysis of the energetics of the biosphere and technosphere. 11.3 Myth
of sustainable development. 11.4 Thermodynamics model of the biosphere. 1. Entropy balance.
11.5 Thermodynamics model of the biosphere.
2. Annual increment of entropy in the biosphere. 11.6 Exergy of solar radiation: global scale. 11.7 Exergy of the biosphere. 11.8 Exergy
and the evolution. 11.9 Summary of the ecological important issues.
12. Teleology and extreme principles. A tentative fourth
law of thermodynamics.
12.1 Introduction. 12.2 The maximum power principle. 12.3 Hypothesis: A thermodynamic law of ecology.
12.4 Supporting evidence. 12.5 Other ecosystem theories. 12.6 Toward a consistent ecosystem theory. 12.7 Some final comments.
13.
Application of exergy as ecological indicator and goal function in ecological modelling.
13.1 Introduction. 13.2 Exergy and
specific exergy as ecological indicators. 13.3 Assessment of ecosystem integrity. An example: A lake ecosystem. 13.4 Thermodynamics of
controlled ecological processes and exergy. 13.5 Modelling the selection of Darwin's finches. 13.6 Exergy of the global carbon cycle:
How to estimate its potentital useful work.
Postscriptum.
References.
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