Comparison of exergy found by a classical thermodynamic approach and by the use of the information stored in the genome

It is possible to calculate the exergy for organisms based on classic thermodynamics as already demonstrated by Mejer and Jorgensen [Mejer, H., Jorgensen, S.E., 1979. Exergy and ecological buffer capacity. State-of-the-art in Ecol. Model. 7, 829–846]. The calculation of exergy as eco-exergy, which is based on the information stored in the genome, has lately been proposed by Jørgensen and co-workers. Recently, Ludovisi [Ludovisi, A., 2009. Exergy vs information in ecological successions: interpreting community changes by a classical thermodynamic approach. Ecol. Model. 220, 1566–1577] has put forward a method based on classical thermodynamics, which leads to the calculation of “virtual” values of concentration at equilibrium for a number of organic compounds (VEC) and freshwater organisms (VECE). This paper compares the two approaches by analysing the correlation existing between the VECE- and the β-values derived by Jørgensen et al. [Jørgensen, S.E., Ladegaard, N., Debeljak, M., Marques, J.C., 2005. Calculations of exergy for organisms. Ecol. Model. 185, 165–175]. It was found that there was a good correlation, which can be useful for estimating β-values for organisms whose genome is not known in a sufficient detail. The relationship between VECE- and β-values suggests that two proposed thermodynamic orientors based on these quantities – the eco-exergy index and the structural information – should lead to coherent results when applied to the evaluation of the development state of ecosystems. A numerical simulation shows that this expectation is verified in a major case, but also that different, even opposite, responses can arise, depending on the biological composition of the biocoenosis investigated.     

Exergy vs information in ecological successions: Interpreting community changes by a classical thermodynamic approach

This work proposes a methodology based on classical thermodynamics, which allows the variation in ecosystem composition to be interpreted within the framework of the exergy concept. The basic equation of exergy [Mejer, H., Jorgensen, S.E., 1979. Exergy and ecological buffer capacity. State-of-the-art in Ecological Modelling 7, 829–846] was decomposed into three terms – size (C), structural information (I) and concentration (X) – and their significance as indicators of ecosystem state was evaluated by simulating different scenarios of development in a simplified freshwater ecosystem. In order to calculate the exergy terms, the most critical issue in using exergy in an ecological context, i.e. the estimate of reference equilibrium values for organic matter and organisms, had to be faced. With this aim, the equations of classical thermodynamics in solution were applied, and “virtual” values of concentration at equilibrium were calculated for a number of organic compounds (VEC) and freshwater organisms (VECE). The results of the simulation showed that, whereas exergy and the exergy terms inherently connected with the a-biotic component varied consistently with the incorporation of biomass into the ecosystem, the structural information of the biotic component followed different, even opposite, pathways of variation, which were dependent only on the change in the size spectrum of the community. Due to the strict dependence of the VECE values on organism size, the increase of structural information with increasing abundance of large and complex species is also consistent with the general pattern of succession delineated by the classical r–K model. Structural information is therefore proposed as an indicator of the development state, as well as an ecological orientor, whose maximisation is expected during ecosystem development. However, since an increase in structural information is not necessarily accompanied by an increase in exergy, a sort of “antagonism” between these two related orientors emerges, whose resolution may contribute to shed light on the fundamental forces which drive ecosystem development.     

A holistic approach to ecological modelling

Models of different complexity were used to examine how the ecological buffer capacity, β (defined as the change in loading relative to the change in a considered state variable) varies when the loading, e.g. the input of phosphorus, is changed. It was found that while β = ΔP(total)/ΔP(soluble) increases with increasing complexity of the model at low P-loading, the β-value will — at medium P-loadings — have a maximum value at a certain degree of complexity, and will be a decreasing function of complexity at high phosphorus loadings. This might explain why very eutrophic lakes, rivers polluted with organic matter or other stressed ecosystems are stable although their complexity is low.The more complex ecosystems seem best able to cope with increasing variations in climatic factors.In the models considered the thermodynamic function exergy correlates well with the sum of relevant buffer capacities. High exergy levels mean that the structure is more able to meet changes in external factors.     

State-of-the-art of ecological modelling with emphasis on development of structural dynamic models

The paper deals with two major problems in ecological modelling today, namely how to get reliable parameters? and how to build ecosystem properties into our models? The use of new mathematical tools to answer these questions is mentioned briefly, but the main focus of the paper is on development of structural dynamic models which are models using goal functions to reflect a current change of the properties of the biological components in the models. These changes of the properties are due to the enormous adaptability of the biological components to the prevailing conditions. All species in an ecosystem attempt to obtain most biomass, i.e. to move as far away as possible from thermodynamic equilibrium which can be measured by the thermodynamic concept exergy. Consequently, exergy has been proposed as a goal function in ecological models with dynamic structure, meaning currently changed properties of the biological components and in model language currently changed parameters. An equation to compute an exergy index of a model is presented. The theoretical considerations leading to this equation are not presented here but references to literature where the basis theory can be found are given. Two case studies of structural dynamic modelling are presented: a shallow lake where the structural dynamic changes have been determined before the model was developed, and the application of biomanipulation in lake management, where the structural dynamic changes are generally known. Moreover. it is also discussed how the same idea of using exergy as a goal function in ecological modelling may be applied to facilitate the estimation of parameters.     

Dynamic model of Lake Chozas (León, NW Spain)—Decrease in eco-exergy from clear to turbid phase due to introduction of exotic crayfish

We developed a dynamic model of the phosphorus cycle in Lake Chozas, a small shallow water body in León (NW Spain). The calibrated model simulated seasonal dynamics of phosphorus concentrations in major components of the lake's ecological network before and after 1997, the year when an invasive allochthonous crustacean, the Louisiana red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), was introduced into the lake. The shift from clean to turbid phase, due to grazing by crayfish on submerged vegetation, caused a gradual decrease in eco-exergy, reflecting an increase in entropy, related to breakdown of ecosystem internal equilibria. This case study verifies the hypothesis of Marchi et al. (2010) that, after an initial relatively stable state, the allochthonous species may cause an increase in entropy indicating perturbation of the ecosystem.     

Cosmic exergy based ecological assessment for a wetland in Beijing

Wetlands research and restoration has become one of the critical concern due to their importance in providing ecosystem services. This study proposes a holistic methodology to assess the wetland ecosystem based on cosmic exergy as a thermodynamic orientor. This new approach is applied to two typical wastewater treatment facilities (an activated sludge system and a cyclic activated sludge system) and to a constructed wetland ecosystem in Beijing for comparison. Results show that the Beijing wetland ecosystem gains positive net present ecological value of 3.08E+14 J_c regarding its total life cycle. Comparison with the activated sludge system and cyclic activated sludge system, shows that the wetland ecosystem has greater dependencies on local resources (22% vs. 0% vs. 0%) and renewable resources (67% vs. 38% vs. 31%) as well as a larger ecological sustainability index (0.64157 vs. 0.00005 vs. 0.00008). This implies that the wetland ecosystem is more environmentally friendly and sustainable method for water treatment.     

Integrated urban ecosystem evaluation and modeling based on embodied cosmic exergy

This paper presented a thermodynamic synthesis that involved resource accounting, evaluation and modeling of urban ecosystems based on embodied cosmic exergy (EcE), which redefined embodied exergy with the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) as the reference for solar exergy. In a case study of the Beijing urban ecosystem, the major resources supporting the urban ecosystem, both from free natural resources and from the economy, were accounted for, analyzed and evaluated in the same units, Cosmic Joules (Jc). These indicators revealed the current performance of the Beijing urban ecosystem by considering five aspects of the system: EcE sources, EcE intensity, EcE welfare, environmental impacts and economic efficiency. Moreover, through the combination of the EcE synthesis with a systems dynamics, this research constructed an embodied cosmic exergy-based urban system model (EESM) using Beijing as an example of urban development. The results show that the 10 years from 2010 to 2020 will be very critical for the sustainable development of Beijing because many key factors, such as water resources, wastes and urban assets, might be confronted with great changes during this period. These changes will inevitably transform the urban system not only in its external circumstances but also in its inner structure and may lead to serious consequences. Of all the necessary resources, the most sensitive factor is water supply.     

Simulation of thermodynamic transmission in green roof ecosystem

Green roofs entail the creation of vegetated space on the top of artificial structures. They can modify the thermal properties of buildings to bring cooling energy conservation and improve human comfort. This study evaluates the thermodynamic transmission in the green roof ecosystem under different vegetation treatments. Our model simulation is based on the traditional Bowen ratio energy balance model (BREBM) and a proposed solar radiation shield effectiveness model (SEM). The BREBM investigates energy absorption of different components of radiation, and the SEM evaluates the radiation shield effects. The proposed model is tested and validated to be efficient to simulate solar energy transmission in green roofs, with some major findings. Firstly, the solar radiation transmission processes might be considered as free vibration motion. Daytime positive heat storage of the green roof is 350-520 W·m⁻² on an hourly basis. Nighttime or afternoon negative value registers a rather constant magnitude of −60 W·m⁻². Daily net average is positive around 155-210 W·m⁻². Secondly, solar radiation vibration is highly correlated with plant structure. The canopy reflectance and transmittance are strongly correlated (R² = 0.87). The multi-layer shrub treatment has the highest shield effectiveness (0.34), followed by two-layer groundcover (0.27), and single-layer grass (0.16). Green roof vegetation absorbs and stores large amounts of heat to form an effective thermal buffer against daily temperature fluctuation. Vegetated roofs drastically depress air temperature in comparison with bare ground (control treatment). Finally, the thermodynamic model is relatively simple and efficient for investigating thermodynamic transmission in green roof ecosystem, and it could be developed into a broad solar radiant land cover model.     

Application of eco-exergy for assessment of ecosystem health and development of structurally dynamic models

Eco-exergy has been widely used in the assessment of ecosystem health, parameter estimations, calibrations, validations and prognoses. It offers insights into the understanding of ecosystem dynamics and disturbance-driven changes. Particularly, structurally dynamic models (SDMs), which are developed using eco-exergy as the goal function, have been applied in explaining and exploring ecosystem properties and changes in community structure driven by biotic and abiotic factors. In this paper, we review the application of eco-exergy for the assessment of ecosystem health and development of structurally dynamic models (SDMs). The limitations and possible future applications of the approach are also addressed.     

A revised calculation of the econometric factors α- and β for the Extended Exergy Accounting method

Extended Exergy Accounting (“EEA”) is a method to compute the space- and time integral of the primary exergy required to produce a good or a service: the extended exergy of a commodity measures its “embodied exergy”, including externalities (Labour, Capital and Environmental Costa). A crucial point of the method is the calculation of two econometric coefficients, commonly referred to as “α” and “β”,used to calculate the extended exergy equivalents of Labour and Capital respectively. In previous applications of the EEA method, these coefficients have been assigned approximate values estimated on the basis of global system considerations. In this paper, a novel procedure is described that leads to the calculation of “exact” values of both econometric coefficients, based on detailed exergy- and monetary balances of the Society to which the EEA is applied. It is shown that both α and β depend in a non-trivial way from the consumption patterns, the technological level and the life- and socio-economic standards of each Country. It is also shown that the values are substantially different for developed (OECD) and underdeveloped Countries, and representative samples of values are calculated and critically analysed. On the basis of these new model coefficients, the specific exergy equivalents of Labour (ee_L) and of Capital (ee_K) are calculated, and shown to differ from the values used in previous EEA calculations.     

Resistance and re-organization of an ecosystem in response to biological invasion: Some hypotheses

Using a dynamic model of Lake Chozas developed by Marchi et al. (2011), we tested three hypotheses about recovery of the indigenous community and water quality after radical changes caused by introduction of an invasive allochthonous crayfish, Procambarus clarkii:

1.

Can the lake resist the pressure of an invasive species, like P. clarkii, by adaptation?

2.

Can the ecosystem recover when all the crayfish are removed and low phosphorus concentrations persist in inflow water?

3.

Does the simulated recovery of submerged vegetation occur at a total phosphorus concentration below 100 mg TP m⁻³, as estimated by Scheffer et al. (1993), Scheffer (1997), Jeppesen et al. (1998) and Zhang et al. (2003)?

We obtained the following answers:

1.

Lake Chozas can at least partly resist by adaptation. A combination of possible parameter changes could lead to a significant increase in eco-exergy.

2.

Removal of the phosphorus represented by crayfish (by harvesting) implies complete recovery of the lake and its eco-exergy, albeit not necessarily with the same organisms having the same properties.

3.

The expected hysteresis created by introduction and harvesting of crayfish is observed under the following conditions: phytoplankton dominance at total phosphorus ≥ about 200-250 mg TP m⁻³ and submerged vegetation returns at total phosphorus < 100 mg TP m⁻³.

     

Ecosystem services as a counterpart of emergy flows to ecosystems

A generic input-state-output scheme has been used to represent ecosystem dynamics. Systemic approaches to ecosystems use functions that are based either on inputs, state or outputs of the system. Some examples of approaches that use a combination of functions have been recently proposed. For example the use of eco-exergy to emergy flow can be seen as a mixed input-state approach; more recently, to connect the state to the output of the ecosystem, the relation of eco-exergy and ecosystems services has been proposed. This paper studies the link between the useful output of an ecosystems and its input through the relation between ecosystem services and emergy flow, in a kind of grey/black box scheme (i.e., without considering the state and the structure of the ecosystem). No direct connection between the two concepts can be determined, but identifying and quantifying the emergy flows feeding an ecosystem and the services to humans coming from them facilitate the sustainable conservation of Nature and its functions. Furthermore, this input-output relation can be established in general by calculating the ratio of the value of the ecosystem services to the emergy flow that supports the system. In particular, the ratio of the world ecosystem services to the emergy flow supporting the entire biosphere has been calculated showing that, at least at the global level, Nature is more efficacious in producing “money” (in form of ecosystem services) than economic systems (e.g., national economies and their GDP).     

Evaluation of information indices as indicators of environmental stress in terrestrial soils

Information indices from Ecosystem Network Analysis (ENA) can be used to quantify the development of an ecosystem in terms of its size and organization. There are two types of indices, i.e. absolute indices that describe both the size and organization of ecosystem (Total System Throughput (TST)—system size, Ascendancy (A)—size of organized flows and Development Capacity (C)—upper limit for A, Overhead (L)—size of unorganized flows) and relative indices that describe only the organization (Average Mutual Information (AMI = A:TST), Flow Diversity (H = C:TST), Relative Overhead (RL = L:TST)).It is theorized that environmental stress impair the ecosystem development and that the effect of stress can be quantified with the ENA information indices. Here we applied ENA on a case of environmental stress in a terrestrial ecosystem, i.e. soils that have endured long-term exposure to elevated copper concentration and altered pH.The absolute indices showed an unexpected pattern of response to pollution, suggesting that ecosystems in polluted soils are more active and better organized than these in unpolluted soils. The relative indices, alternatively, responded to pollution as predicted by theory, i.e. with decrease of stress (pollution level) the level of specialization increased (increase of AMI) and losses of energy, e.g. due to respiration, decreased (decrease of Overhead). The diversity and evenness of flows showed hump-backed relationship with stress. Less polluted soils appeared to be less vulnerable to external disturbances and more efficient in processing energy (higher Relative Ascendancy (RA = A:C)) than polluted soils. The relative information indices were rigid to changes in values of assumed parameters. The relative indices, opposite to absolute indices, appeared to be useful as indicators of environmental stress on the ecosystem level.     

Network calculations and ascendency based on eco-exergy

Ascendency is an index of activity and organization in living systems calculated in terms of flows. The concern here is with how that quantity behaves when the flows in question are measured in terms of eco-exergy. The storage of eco-exergy has served as a goal function in assessing parameter values for structurally dynamic models, but network magnitudes and topologies can change in response to significant changes in the forcing functions. As storages are relatively insensitive to such changes, it is advisable in such cases to explore how changes in a flow variable, like ascendency, might capture network adaptations. It happens that changes in ascendency calculated in terms of flows of simple energy are small in comparison to corresponding variations in the storages of eco-exergy. But when ascendency is reckoned in terms of flows of eco-exergy, its changes in response to network changes are more comparable to those in the storages. Ascendency seems to be more sensitive to changes in flow topology, however, so that a combination of eco-exergy storage and eco-exergy ascendency would probably be most appropriate for situations where changes in flow topology are significant.     

Schnecken unter Stress

Background In ecophysiology and ecotoxicology, gastropods are important both as target organisms for molluscicides and non-target organisms for environmental pollutants or other environmental stressors. With respect to both aspects, biomarkers are investigated at different levels of biological organization in order to understand mechanisms which enable gastropods to cope with or even to benefit from unfavourable environmental conditions. Main topics The paper focuses on the ecotoxicological and ecophysiological work of the author on gastropods which will be reviewed in the context of the state of knowledge in this field of research. In addition to cellular aspects in biomarker research, also biochemical responses of snails to environmental stress (stress proteins, metallothioneins, and metabolic enzymes) will be addressed. Conclusions The paper highlights the suitability of terrestrial and aquatic gastropods as sensitive indicators of environmental stress induced by chemicals or other non-chemical factors. Biomarker studies have been shown not only to be applicable in environmental risk assessment but also to provide fundamental and background knowledge necessary to understand correlations of responses at different levels of biological organization. Recommendations and perspectives A standardized toxicity test with the grapevine snail (ISO 15952) has been established for toxicity assessment in terrestrial habitats. However, freshwater gastropods display a high sensitivity as well, e.?g. to endocrine disrupters, and should be incorporated into future standardized assays for aquatic toxicity testing on the basis of existing knowledge.     

Exergetic assessment for ecological economic system: Chinese agriculture

Based on the thermodynamic concept of exergy as a unified measure for environmental resources and economic products, a framework for systems assessment is presented for ecological economies. With a typical systems diagram devised for a general ecological economy with four arm fluxes for free local natural resources, purchased economic investment, environmental impact and economic yield, system indices of the renewability index, exergy yield ratio, exergy investment ratio, environmental resource to yield ratio, system transformity and environmental stress index are defined for a congregated systems ecological assessment with essential implications to sustainability. As a detailed case study to the Chinese agriculture from 1980 to 2000 with cropping, forestry, stockbreeding and fishery sectors, extensive exergy account and systems assessment are carried out with emphasis on annual and structural variations against social political transitions. For the overall agriculture as a congregated ecological stage, the value of the system transformity is found around 10, the typical value for the general ecological hierarchy as well devised by Odum associated with Lindeman's Tenth Law.