University at Buffalo Engineering for Ecosystem Restoration Summer Workshop Series 25 June 2010 David Blersch Dept. of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering University at Buffalo

Energetic basis for ecosystems Waste Heat Less total energy at each level REVIEW

Using a Systems Language Why a systems language? To convert non-quantitative verbal models to… more quantitative, more accurate, more predictive, more consistent, and less confusing network diagrams. Understanding systems… Understanding environment and society as a system means thinking about parts, processes, and connections. To help understand systems, it is helpful to draw pictures of networks that show components and relationships. REVIEW

Energy Circuit Diagrams From Odum (1994) REVIEW

Systems Model: Aquatic system Odum (1994) REVIEW

The math… The assumption: Pathway flows are linear and in proportion to force action from the upstream energy sources and storages.

The math… J/k 1

Solving numerically Finite differences

Solving in Excel Model TANK

Using STELLA: Tank Equations in STELLA Q(t) = Q(t - dt) + (J - K1Q) * dt INIT Q = 300 INFLOWS: J = 8 OUTFLOWS: K1Q = k1*Q k1 = 0.5 Model TANK

Simulating a simple Producer- Consumer cycle Simple Production-Consumption cycle

Simple P-C cycle

Two STELLA formulations PC Cycle type 1 PC Cycle type 2

Results

The “Strategy” of Ecosystem Development E.P. Odum 1969

Ecosystem succession E.P. Odum 1969

The Odums E.P. Odum (1913 – 2002) H.T. Odum Alma Mater: U. Illinois Teaching: U. Georgia Research: Systems ecology Impacts: (1) pioneered the concept of the ecosystem; (2) systematized ecology as part of biology curriculum Alma Mater: Yale University Teaching: U. Florida Research: Systems ecology; General systems theory Impacts: (1) Synthesized thermodynamics with systems ecology ;(2) Maximum power laws (3) Ecological engineering and economics

References Abrams, P., B.A. Menge, G.G. Mittelbach, D. Spiller, and P. Yodzis The role of indirect effects in food webs. Pp In: Food Webs: Integration of Patterns and Dynamics. G.A. Polis and K.O. Winemiller (eds.). Chapman & Hall, New York. Adey, W.H., and K. Loveland Dynamic Aquaria: Building and Restoring Living Ecosystems (3 rd Edition). Academic Press, San Diego, California. Gerardin, L Bionics. McGraw-Hill, New York. Jorgensen, S.E., and G. Bendoricchio Fundamentals of Ecological Modelling (3 rd Edition). Elsevier Science, New York. Kangas, P.C Ecological Engineering: Principles and Practice. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida. Odum, H.T Ecological and General Systems: An Introduction to Systems Ecology. University Press of Colorado, Niwot, Colorado. Odum, H.T., and E.C. Odum Modeling for All Scales: An Introduction to System Simulation. Academic Press, San Diego, California.