BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

POPULATIONS (Stability of mixed) 1)

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Heterogeneous populations of a same species, or numerous different species within an ecological system are more stable than homogeneous ones.

R. MARGALEF states: "The greater the number of avenues by which energy may flow through a complex system, the stabler it is" and "… a community exhibiting great stability… is comparable to a system easily convertible within a series of equivalent systems" (1958, p.61).

MARGALEF insists on the importance of "high indices of diversity" – an idea akin to ASHBY's variety – and gives a number of examples in ecosystems.

However, the concept seems quite more general, as it could be applied to any kind of networks, as for example neural or social ones.

The number of avenues through which energy may flow is also reminiscent of BENARD's and PRIGOGINE's dissipative structures, as well as LOTKA's model of the world engine. At least two different effects can affect the stability of a population:

-Over exploitation- as in the case of hunting or fishing for example, can lead to an excessive reduction of some specific population. In such cases, other species can invade the niche left more or less vacant and the species cannot anymore recuperate, or even maintain itself. This may be caused by decreasing genetic variety or by an excessive rarefaction of individuals.

- Some strong perturbation in the environment- as for example a destructive hurricane- may have a similar effect by damaging the habitat of the species, either for some more or less extended period, or definitively. The subject is now considered in ecology through patch-dynamics.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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