Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 27, 2025
07:54
Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
Published on: March 9, 2021
3.2K
Thermodynamics in Ecology-An Introductory Review
Søren Nors Nielsen1, Felix Müller2, Joao Carlos Marques3
1Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Section for Sustainable Biotechnology, Aalborg University, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, DK-2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 8, 2020
Summary
Predicting ecosystem evolution requires defining ecological concepts using thermodynamics. Exergy, a thermodynamic property, can indicate ecosystem health and changes, with ecological succession showing increased exergy.
Area of Science:
- Ecology and Thermodynamics
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Management
Background:
- Predicting ecosystem evolution is a key challenge for ecologists, managers, and policymakers.
- Modern ecosystem theory highlights complexity, necessitating scientific definitions for concepts like sustainability, integrity, resilience, and health.
- Thermodynamic interpretations of living systems, such as Schrödinger's 'negentropy feeders' and Prigogine's 'dissipative structures,' offer a framework for understanding ecosystems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the current state of applying thermodynamics to ecology.
- To outline the history and derivation of thermodynamic functions used in ecological studies.
- To present examples of applications and results, emphasizing their importance for ecosystem management.
Main Methods:
- Applying principles of classical and far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics to ecological systems.
- Utilizing concepts of exergy (stored and degraded) and entropy formation as indicators of ecosystem state, structure, and function.
- Analyzing changes in exergy in response to natural and anthropogenic ecosystem alterations, with a focus on aquatic ecosystems.
Main Results:
- Thermodynamic principles like mass conservation and the laws of thermodynamics are fundamental to far-from-equilibrium systems like ecosystems.
- Exergy has been proposed as a valuable indicator for ecosystem health, with ecological succession typically leading to increased exergy.
- Changes in ecosystems are accompanied by variations in exergy, suggesting its utility in monitoring ecosystem status.
Conclusions:
- Thermodynamics provides a powerful lens for understanding and predicting ecosystem behavior and evolution.
- Exergy offers a quantifiable measure for assessing ecosystem health and response to change, aiding in management decisions.
- Further research is needed to resolve challenges in calculating and measuring thermodynamic properties for ecological applications.
Related Concept Videos
00:53Second Law of Thermodynamics
66.4K
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. Each energy transfer results in a certain amount of energy that is lost—usually in the form of heat—that increases the disorder of the surroundings. This can also be demonstrated in a classic food web. Herbivores harvest chemical energy from plants and release heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Carnivores harvest the...
66.4K
02:49Second Law of Thermodynamics
26.0K
In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Processes that involve an increase in entropy of the system (ΔS > 0) are very often spontaneous; however, examples to the contrary are plentiful. By expanding consideration of entropy changes to include the surroundings, a significant conclusion regarding the relation between this property and spontaneity may be reached. In thermodynamic models, the...
26.0K
00:37First Law of Thermodynamics
78.9K
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This can be demonstrated within a classic food web where light energy from the sun is harnessed as radiant energy by plants, converted into chemical energy, and stored as complex carbohydrates. The vegetation is then consumed by animals and during the digestion process, the sugars release energy as heat. The sugars also produce chemical energy that either gets used up doing work, stored in...
78.9K
01:17First Law of Thermodynamics
5.1K
A change in the internal energy of a system depends on the the net heat transfer into the system and the net work done by the system. The first law of thermodynamics, which is a generalized form of energy conservation, relates these three quantities mathematically. It states that the change in the internal energy equals the difference between the heat transfer and work done by the system.
The applied heat increases the internal energy of a system. Hence, conventionally heat is considered...
The applied heat increases the internal energy of a system. Hence, conventionally heat is considered...
5.1K
02:16First Law of Thermodynamics
38.6K
Energy Conservation
38.6K
01:06Thermodynamic Systems
6.5K
A thermodynamic system is a set of objects whose thermodynamic properties are of interest. The system is considered to be embedded in its surroundings or the environment. The system and its environment can exchange heat and do work on each other through a boundary that separates them. However, the immediate surroundings of the system interact with it directly and therefore have a much stronger influence on its behavior and properties.
Consider an example of tea boiling in a kettle. The...
Consider an example of tea boiling in a kettle. The...
6.5K