Ecosystem Dissipative Structure

Ecosystem dissipative structure refers to a non-linear open system that far from equilibrium may undergo a sudden change by constantly exchanging matter and energy with the outside world, so that when the change of a certain parameter within the system reaches a certain threshold, through rise and fall, the system may undergo a sudden change from its original status. The system may change from a chaotic and disordered state to a temporally, spatially, or functionally ordered state. The formation and maintenance of a typical dissipative structure require at least three conditions: firstly, the system must be open, neither isolated nor closed systems can produce dissipative structures; secondly, the system must be set in a non-linear region far from equilibrium, and it is impossible to move from one order to another more advanced order in or near the equilibrium region; thirdly, there must be some non-linear dynamic processes in the system; thirdly, there must be some non-linear dynamics in the system, such as positive and negative feedback mechanisms, and it is this non-linear interaction that allows for synergistic actions and coherent effects between various elements of the system, thus changing the system, from disorder to order. An ecosystem is an open system, far from equilibrium, a self-organising system in a non-equilibrium state, and with non-linear dynamics. Ecosystems are therefore, systems with dissipative structural functions.

Edited and translated by Zhang Yifei