Process Networks of Ecohydrological Systems in a Temperate Deciduous Forest:A Complex Systems Perspective
2014
Yun, J.Y., Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea | Kim, S.H., Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea | Kang, M.S., National Center for Agrometerorology, Seoul, Republic of Korea | Cho, C.H., Korea Meteorological Administration, Jeju, Republic of Korea | Chun, J.H., Korea Forest Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea | Kim, J., Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
From a complex systems perspective, ecohydrological systems in forests may be characterized with (1) large networks of components which give rise to complex collective behaviors, (2) sophisticated information processing, and (3) adaptation through self-organization and learning processes. In order to demonstrate such characteristics, we applied the recently proposed ‘process networks’ approach to a temperate deciduous forest in Gwangneung National Arboretum in Korea. The process network analysis clearly delineated the forest ecohydrological systems as the hierarchical networks of information flows and feedback loops with various time scales among different variables. Several subsystems were identified such as synoptic subsystem (SS), atmospheric boundary layer subsystem (ABLS), biophysical subsystem (BPS), and biophysicochemical subsystem (BPCS). These subsystems were assembled/disassembled through the couplings/decouplings of feedback loops to form/deform newly aggregated subsystems (e.g., regional subsystem) - an evidence for self-organizing processes of a complex system. Our results imply that, despite natural and human disturbances, ecosystems grow and develop through self-organization while maintaining dynamic equilibrium, thereby continuously adapting to environmental changes. Ecosystem integrity is preserved when the system`s selforganizing processes are preserved, something that happens naturally if we maintain the context for self-organization. From this perspective, the process networks approach makes sense.
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