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Harmony as Ideology: Questioning the Diversity-Stability Hypothesis
Nikos Nikisianis1, Georgios P Stamou2
1Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24, Thessaloníki, Greece. nnikisia@auth.gr.
Acta Biotheoretica
|November 14, 2015
Summary
The diversity-stability hypothesis in ecology, linking species diversity and community stability, has historically been driven by ideological beliefs in natural order rather than empirical evidence. Its recurring influence reflects societal views on nature and management.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- History of Science
- Environmental Management
Background:
- The concept of a stable, harmonious natural world has a long history in ecology, predating Darwinian evolution.
- Early ecological thought and cybernetic synthesis in the 1950s mathematically linked species diversity and community stability.
- This diversity-stability correlation was later adopted as an environmental management tool during the ecological crisis of the 1960s.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the historical trajectory of the diversity-stability hypothesis in ecology.
- To review the evolving terminology used to define and measure community stability.
- To analyze the ideological underpinnings and social influences shaping the diversity-stability debate.
Main Methods:
- Historical analysis of ecological literature and theoretical developments.
- Review of successive terms and concepts related to community stability.
- Examination of the influence of social pressures and ideological presuppositions on scientific consensus.
Main Results:
- The diversity-stability hypothesis has been consistently influenced by ideological beliefs in order and harmony.
- Scientific consensus on the positive correlation between diversity and stability has fluctuated, often restored to serve external purposes, such as valuing biodiversity.
- Developments in this field are largely responsive to societal pressures rather than purely autonomous scientific inquiry.
Conclusions:
- The ongoing debate surrounding the diversity-stability relationship is fundamentally ideological, reflecting differing views of nature and society.
- Ecology's concepts and perceptions are subject to cyclical trends, influenced by prevailing social and ideological contexts.
- Understanding this dynamic is key to interpreting the pluralistic and evolving history of ecological science.
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