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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
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Published on: April 18, 2025
Trends in entropy production during ecosystem development in the Amazon Basin
Robert J Holdaway1, Ashley D Sparrow, David A Coomes
1Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB3 2EA, UK. rjh208@googlemail.com
Summary
Tropical forests exhibit higher entropy production than pastures, suggesting a link between ecosystem development and energy exchange. This principle may explain land-use change impacts on the land-surface energy balance.
Area of Science:
- Ecological research
- Ecosystem science
- Land-atmosphere interactions
Background:
- Understanding ecosystem-atmosphere boundary layer energy and matter exchange is crucial for ecological research.
- A general theory for successional trends in these exchanges remains elusive.
- The principle of maximum entropy production is explored as a potential unifying theory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the principle of maximum entropy production can explain observed patterns in ecosystem energy exchange.
- To develop a framework for calculating entropy production from terrestrial flux data.
- To apply this framework to compare entropy production in tropical forests and pastures.
Main Methods:
- Developed a general framework for calculating entropy production.
- Utilized data from terrestrial eddy covariance and micrometeorological studies.
- Applied the framework to eight tropical forest and pasture flux sites in the Amazon Basin.
Main Results:
- Forest sites showed consistently higher entropy production rates (0.461 W m(-2) K(-1)) than pasture sites (0.422 W m(-2) K(-1)).
- Changes in canopy structure, albedo, and root systems in forests contribute to increased entropy production.
- Results align with a theoretical model of entropy production versus ecosystem developmental stage.
Conclusions:
- Entropy production may offer a theoretical basis for understanding ecosystem successional trends.
- This principle could be vital for analyzing the effects of deforestation and land-use change on land-surface energy balance.
- Further research is needed to fully establish entropy production as a unifying ecological theory.
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