Agroecosystem Analysis Approach Based on the Flows of Artificial Energy and Information

In this paper, an agroecosystem is described as a network of flows of artificial energy both inside the system and input/output flows. The total input flow corresponds to an energy load on the agroecosystem, i.e., it is one of the main characteristics of anthropogenic pressure. The network structure reflects the real structure of the agroecosystem. Entropy measures of information is defined on this structure: the entropy increment and a redundancy index. The degree of agricultural development from traditional agroecosystems up to agroindustrial production systems is correlated with the density of energy inflow

Global Models, The Biospheric Approach (Theory of the Noosphere)

The problem of the coevolution of mankind and the biosphere, i.e., the relationship between the process of the evolution of the biosphere and the evolution of human activity which provides a homeostasis for human civilization, has become one of the principal problems of human ecology. The first step in an extensive program of interdisciplinary research is the creation of a system of mathematical models which would serve as a framework for planning international research programs. The research described herein has two stages. The first stage, a still primitive system of models was constructed and analyzed, using systems dynamics techniques. This system of models, outlined in the second section of the paper, has already helped the authors in their contacts with experts in biology, soil science, etc., and the creation of an information base has in essence, turned into a discussion of plans for future work. Studies connected with simulating the evolution of the biosphere were developed in three directions: simulation of processes of a biotic nature, simulation of climate, and simulation of human activity. Experimental results obtained using this system in the "if...then" mode, may be helpful for understanding, at least on a qualitative basis, possible impacts of human activity on the evolution of the biosphere assuming that the present day trends remain unchanged. This system of models is at present programmed at IIASA and is ready to be used for simulation experiments. The second step in the research is based on an understanding of the fact that the systems dynamic approach is not sufficient for the elaboration and study of the system of models which describes human activity. Furthermore, it is necessary to analyze and coordinate models developed by experts in varied branches of science -- biologists, climatologists, economists, etc. Thus, it is necessary to elaborate new mathematical techniques that can be used in the investigation of global coevolution problems. Some principles for the development of these techniques were formulated at the Computing Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences and are presented herein. The three main principles are: (1) Linear parametrization of comprehensive submodels; (2) Models of human activity are split into two levels -- the decision-making level and the technological level -- and a description of the system of models at the technological level only; (3) Analysis and coordination of the system of models by constructing a set of all reachable values of performance indices (The Generalized Reachable Sets Approach). The linear parametrization procedure for a climate model which is essentially the Mintz-Arakawa global atmospheric circulation model as described by Gates et al. (1971) and modified to account for the climatic trends due to the influence of anthropogenic factors, is described in the third section of the paper. The problems of modeling human activity and the main features of the Generalized Reachable Sets approach, as well as the general scheme of analysis of global biospheric models, are presented in the fourth section of the paper. This work, which is now in the early stages, calls for a great deal of scientific effort over a long period of time. The authors anticipate that the importance of the research in this direction will be internationally recognized and supported

Reduction of biosphere life span as a consequence of geodynamics

The long-term co-evolution of the geosphere-biosphere complex from the Proterozoic up to 1.5 billion years into the planet's future is investigated using a conceptual earth system model including the basic geodynamic processes. The model focusses on the global carbon cycles as mediated by life and driven by increasing solar luminosity and plate tectonics. The main CO2 sink, the weathering of silicates, is calculated as a function of biologic activity, global run-off and continental growth. The main CO2 source, tectonic processes dominated by sea-floor spreading, is determined using a novel semi-empirical scheme. Thus, a geodynamic extension of previous geostatic approaches can be achieved. As a major result of extensive numerical investigations, the 'terrestrial life corridor', i.e., the biogeophysical domain supporting a photosynthesis-based ecosphere in the planetary past and in the future, can be identified. Our findings imply, in particular, that the remaining life-span of the biosphere is considerably shorter (by a few hundred million years) than the value computed with geostatic models by other groups. The 'habitable-zone concept' is also revisited, revealing the band of orbital distances from the sun warranting earth-like conditions. It turns out that this habitable zone collapses completely in some 1.4 billion years from now as a consequence of geodynamics

Le Chatelier principle in replicator dynamics

The Le Chatelier principle states that physical equilibria are not only stable, but they also resist external perturbations via short-time negative-feedback mechanisms: a perturbation induces processes tending to diminish its results. The principle has deep roots, e.g., in thermodynamics it is closely related to the second law and the positivity of the entropy production. Here we study the applicability of the Le Chatelier principle to evolutionary game theory, i.e., to perturbations of a Nash equilibrium within the replicator dynamics. We show that the principle can be reformulated as a majorization relation. This defines a stability notion that generalizes the concept of evolutionary stability. We determine criteria for a Nash equilibrium to satisfy the Le Chatelier principle and relate them to mutualistic interactions (game-theoretical anticoordination) showing in which sense mutualistic replicators can be more stable than (say) competing ones. There are globally stable Nash equilibria, where the Le Chatelier principle is violated even locally: in contrast to the thermodynamic equilibrium a Nash equilibrium can amplify small perturbations, though both this type of equilibria satisfy the detailed balance condition.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Replicators in Fine-grained Environment: Adaptation and Polymorphism

Selection in a time-periodic environment is modeled via the two-player replicator dynamics. For sufficiently fast environmental changes, this is reduced to a multi-player replicator dynamics in a constant environment. The two-player terms correspond to the time-averaged payoffs, while the three and four-player terms arise from the adaptation of the morphs to their varying environment. Such multi-player (adaptive) terms can induce a stable polymorphism. The establishment of the polymorphism in partnership games [genetic selection] is accompanied by decreasing mean fitness of the population.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Nested species interactions promote feasibility over stability during the assembly of a pollinator community

The foundational concepts behind the persistence of ecological communities have been based on two ecological properties: dynamical stability and feasibility. The former is typically regarded as the capacity of a community to return to an original equilibrium state after a perturbation in species abundances and is usually linked to the strength of interspecific interactions. The latter is the capacity to sustain positive abundances on all its constituent species and is linked to both interspecific interactions and species demographic characteristics. Over the last 40 years, theoretical research in ecology has emphasized the search for conditions leading to the dynamical stability of ecological communities, while the conditions leading to feasibility have been overlooked. However, thus far, we have no evidence of whether species interactions are more conditioned by the community's need to be stable or feasible. Here, we introduce novel quantitative methods and use empirical data to investigate the consequences of species interactions on the dynamical stability and feasibility of mutualistic communities. First, we demonstrate that the more nested the species interactions in a community are, the lower the mutualistic strength that the community can tolerate without losing dynamical stability. Second, we show that high feasibility in a community can be reached either with high mutualistic strength or with highly nested species interactions. Third, we find that during the assembly process of a seasonal pollinator community located at The Zackenberg Research Station (northeastern Greenland), a high feasibility is reached through the nested species interactions established between newcomer and resident species. Our findings imply that nested mutualistic communities promote feasibility over stability, which may suggest that the former can be key for community persistence

A structural approach for understanding multispecies coexistence

Although observations of species-rich communities have long served as a primary motivation for research on the coexistence of competitors, the majority of our empirical and theoretical understanding comes from two-species systems. How much of the coexistence observed in species rich communities results from indirect effects among competitors that only emerge in diverse systems remains poorly understood. Resolving this issue requires simple, scalable, and intuitive metrics for quantifying the conditions for coexistence in multispecies systems, and how these conditions differ from those expected based solely on pairwise interactions. To achieve these aims, we develop a structural approach for studying the set of parameter values compatible with n-species coexistence given the geometric constraints imposed by the the matrix of competition coefficients. We derive novel mathematical metrics analogous to stabilizing niche differences and fitness differences that measure the range of conditions compatible with multispecies coexistence, incorporating the effects of indirect interactions emerging in diverse systems. We show how our measures can be used to quantify the extent to which the conditions for coexistence in multispecies systems differ from those that allow pairwise coexistence, and apply the method to a field system of annual plants. We conclude by presenting new challenges and empirical opportunities emerging from our structural metrics of multispecies coexistence