ENV 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Ecosystem Ecology, Arthur Tansley, Landscape Ecology

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Environmental Studies
• Course: ENV 1101
• Professor: Sasa Kebo

Document Summary

Open systems: systems that receive inputs of both energy and matter and produce outputs of both. Closed systems: systems that receive inputs and produce outputs of energy but not matter. Essentially all environmental systems are open systems, meaning that both matter and energy can pass into and out of them. Feedback loop: a system"s output can serve as input to that system (circular process) Negative feedback loop: output that results from a system moving in one direction acts as input that moves the system into the other direction input and output essentially neutralize one another"s effects, stabilizing the system. Positive feedback loops: have the opposite effect; rather than stabilizing a system, they drive it further toward one extreme or another common in natural systems that have been altered by human impact. Inputs and outputs of complex natural systems usually occur together, keeping the system constantly active.