Ecosystems exhibit cybernetic properties through negative feedback loops that maintain stability. Living and non-living components interact through energy and nutrient cycles to self-regulate the ecosystem. For example, homeostasis in animals uses feedback to keep core body temperatures stable. Ecosystems also promote redundancy of species to perform functions and increase resilience to disturbances. However, human activities often disrupt natural feedback controls, and establishing new negative feedback will be important to sustain quality of life and environment.

1. CYBERNETIC NATURE OF
ECOSYSTEM
AJAY DOMINIC V
ROLL NO : 251

2. CYBERNETIC NATURE
 The ecosystem are capable of self maintaining and self
regulation.
 Ecosystem maintain their stability through the complex cycle ,
flow of energy and matter between , among the principle
component - the living and non-living.
 Hence ecosystems can be considered cybernetic[from
kybernetics – pilot or governor , that is the science of
controls] in nature, but the controlling mechanisms are
internal and diffuse.

3.  The science of cybernetics is founded by Norbert Wiener[1948]
 Redundancy – more than one species components capable of performing
a given function , also promote stability.
STABILITY THROUGH FEED BACK CONTROL
A cybernetic system maintain itself by some forms of information feed back
into the system . To function in such a manner the cybernetic system has an
ideal state or set point about which it operate.
 For example 1 : a dehumidifier which is set for a humidity level say 60%
represent a cybernetic system. When the humidity of the air in a room
exceeds the set level that is 60% , the dehumidifier starts working and
when sufficient water removed from the air that lowers the humidity to a
level below 60% , the dehumidifier shuts off. This type of feed back
controls , which stop or reverse a movement away from a set point is
called negative feed back[ the positive feed back is an accelerating
deviation]

4.  Example 2 : an example of cybernetic control in a
living system is temperature regulation in
homeothermal animals , like humans .
 The normal temperature is 37 degree Celsius . If the
temperature of his surroundings rises , sensory
mechanisms detect it , and through nervous system it
stimulate the effector mechanisms that increase
blood flow to the skin and induce sweating. Water
excreted through the skin evaporates , cooling the
body. If the environmental temperature falls below
the normal the reverse will occur.

5. RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE
STABILITY
 Cybernetic system are stable systems.
 There are two kinds of stability : resistance stability
and resilience stability.
 Resistance stability that is the ability to remain
“steady” in the phase of stress.
 Resilience stability that is the ability to recover
quickly.
 It is difficult to develop both at the same time.

6. For example : California redwood forest is
quite resistant to fire but if it does burn ,
it will recover very slowly or never.
In contrast California chaparral
vegetation is very easily burned [low
resistance stability] but recovers quickly
in a few years [high resilience stability].

7. MECHANISM OF NEGATIVE FEED BACK

8.  Now a days ecologists and agriculturalists are trying to disturb
the natural controls or are attempting to substitute artificial
controls for natural ones for the benefits of the human beings.
 Most of the human thinking so far has involved positive feed
back that promotes the expansion of power , technology and
misuse of resources.
 Finally, the quality of human life and environment will likely be
degraded unless sufficient negative feed back controls can be
established.
 So the cybernetics has an important role to play in ecosystem.

9. THANK YOU