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Related Experiment Videos

Catastrophic desert formation in Daisyworld.

Graeme J Ackland1, Michael A Clark, Timothy M Lenton

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Scotland, UK. gjackland@ed.ac.uk

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|June 5, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Life

Area of Science:

  • Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • Ecology
  • Climate Science

Background:

  • Ubiquitous feedback exists between life and its environment.
  • The strength of this coupling and its global implications are debated.
  • Abrupt changes in life's abundance indicate environmental regulation, such as desert formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate catastrophic collapse of life as a testable indicator of environmental feedback.
  • To analyze the role of gradual forcing on life's abundance.
  • To explore the relationship between feedback strength and the scale of collapse.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a two-dimensional "Daisyworld" model incorporating curvature.
  • Simulated gradual increases in solar luminosity.

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  • Analyzed the resulting changes in life's abundance and planetary conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • A critical solar luminosity value was identified, triggering widespread desert formation.
    • The scale of life's collapse was found to be dependent on feedback strength.
    • Mutation rate was shown to limit the efficiency of temperature regulation.

    Conclusions:

    • Catastrophic collapse of life serves as a testable indicator of environmental feedback.
    • System regulation and diversity maximization are analogous to energy and entropy in thermodynamics.
    • The model demonstrates how local interactions can lead to global state changes.