"Balance of Nature" redirects here. For the film, see The Balance of Nature.
The balance of nature, also known as ecological balance, is a theory that proposes that ecological systems are usually in a stable equilibrium or homeostasis, which is to say that a small change (the size of a particular population, for example) will be corrected by some negative feedback that will bring the parameter back to its original "point of balance" with the rest of the system. The balance is sometimes depicted as easily disturbed and delicate, while other times it is inversely portrayed as powerful enough to correct any imbalances by itself.[1] The concept has been described as "normative", as well as teleological, as it makes a claim about how nature should be: nature is balanced because "it is supposed to be balanced".[2]
The theory has been employed to describe how populations depend on each other, for example in predator-prey systems, or relationships between herbivores and their food source.[3] It is also sometimes applied to the relationship between the Earth's ecosystem, the composition of the atmosphere, and weather.[4]
The balance of nature, as a theory, has been largely discredited by scientists working in ecology, as it has been found that constant disturbances leading to chaotic and dynamic changes are the norm in nature.[5] During the later half of the 20th century, it was superseded by catastrophe theory, chaos theory, and thermodynamics.[6] Nevertheless, the idea maintains popularity amongst the general public.[7][8]
^Root, Tik (2019-07-26). "The 'balance of nature' is an enduring concept. But it's wrong". National Geographic. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
^Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Van Valen, Leigh (1973). "Pattern and the Balance of Nature" (PDF). Evolutionary Theory. 1: 31–44.
^Kureethadam, Joshtrom (2014). "Impacts of Climate Change". Creation in Crisis: Science, Ethics, Theology. New York: Orbis Books. ISBN 978-1-60833-520-6.
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Wu, Jianguo; Loucks, Orie L. (1995). "From Balance of Nature to Hierarchical Patch Dynamics: A Paradigm Shift in Ecology". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 70 (4): 439–466. doi:10.1086/419172. ISSN 0033-5770. JSTOR 3035824. S2CID 44197757.
^Zimmerman, Corinne (October 2007). "Ambiguous, circular and polysemous: students' definitions of the "balance of nature" metaphor". Public Understanding of Science. 16 (4): 393–406. doi:10.1177/0963662505063022. S2CID 31030799.
^Kricher, John (2009). The Balance of Nature: Ecology's Enduring Myth. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691138985.
The balanceofnature, also known as ecological balance, is a theory that proposes that ecological systems are usually in a stable equilibrium or homeostasis...
The BalanceofNature is a 1983 British television drama film directed by Paul Annett, starring Leslie Ash. The film is about the beauty business, seen...
Organizations: Nature Detectives The Nature Conservancy Philosophy: Balanceofnature (biological fallacy), a discredited concept of natural equilibrium in predator–prey...
2005. The Economy ofNature, 6th edition. WH Freeman, USA. Chapin, F.S. III, H.A. Mooney, M.C. Chapin, and P. Matson. 2011. Principles of terrestrial ecosystem...
mesocarnivore 30–70%, and that of a hypocarnivore less than 30%, with the balance consisting of non-animal foods, such as fruits, other plant material, or fungi...
human societies, and anything that disturbs the balanceofnature does not last long. Like many thinkers of his time, Anaximander's philosophy included contributions...
1987. Another early screen role came in The BalanceofNature (1983). Bretherton appeared in Rumpole of the Bailey in "The Barrow Boy" in November 1988...
in 1982 Ash appeared in a TV adaption of Outside Edge In 1983 she had the starring role in The BalanceofNature, a film about a Cockney girl from a tower...
imbalance ofnature that now exists. Gran Mamare reassures him, and declares that if Sōsuke can pass a test, Ponyo can live as a human and the balanceof nature...
Balanceof trade can be measured in terms of commercial balance, or net exports. Balanceof trade is the difference between the monetary value of a nation's...
fisheries". Nature 374.6519: 255-257. Elton, C. 1927. Animal Ecology. New York, Macmillan Co. link. Bodenheimer, F. S. 1938. Problems of Animal Ecology...
reciprocal uses" in reference to the balanceofnature in his book Oeconomia Naturae. In this book he captured the notion of ecological recycling: "The 'reciprocal...
they can be important in nature conservation. Humans have hunted many apex predators close to extinction, but in some parts of the world, these predators...
capital plan for Thimphu, Bhutan. According to proponents of intelligent urbanism, balance with nature emphasizes the distinction between utilizing resources...
her "a fanatic defender of the cult of the balanceofnature". According to historian Linda Lear the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson...
keystone species is removed it can set the entire food chain off balance. The efficiency of a food chain depends on the energy first consumed by the primary...
conceptions of ecology, such as a balance and regulation in nature can be traced to Herodotus (died c. 425 BC), who described one of the earliest accounts of mutualism...
that DDT, DDE, PCBs, toxaphene, and the organic forms of mercury and arsenic do biomagnify in nature. For other contaminants, bioconcentration and bioaccumulation...
Robert (1990). "Tritrophic effects of a simple architectural mutation in pea plants". Letters to Nature. Nature. 35 (6274): 433–434. Bibcode:1990Natur...
episode titled "BalanceofNature" on the television series The Outer Limits. In 1989, Rush toured on stage in the national company of Steel Magnolias...
amount of energy available to the ecosystem.: 145 Parent material determines the natureof the soil in an ecosystem, and influences the supply of mineral...
succession to a true climax community, it is one of the only examples of climax that can be observed in nature. Stratification (vegetation) Wood-pasture hypothesis...
the top of a food chain Aquatic-terrestrial subsidies Balanceofnature – Superseded ecological theory Biodiversity – Variety and variability of life forms...
may have a profound influence on the balanceof organisms in a particular ecosystem. Introduction or removal of this predator, or changes in its population...
responds that the extreme from this world and men who try to disturb the balanceofnature need to be eradicated. Simultaneously, Krishnamacharya Perumal is...
Global Information