Through the macroscope: Applying HT Odum's models to novel ecosystems

Abstract

With the onset of anthropogenic biomes and the increasing concentration of human populations in urban centers, society has become accustomed to novel ecosystems developing throughout the landscape, though perhaps without recognizing or naming these systems. From an applied perspective, with increasing focus on climate resiliency and adaptation as we approach, or perhaps have surpassed, the 1.5°C temperature threshold to avoid the most severe impacts from climate change, society may wonder what role novel ecosystems play in a changing future. Novel ecosystems are characterized by self-organization and strong human influence prior to or during establishment, with the biological communities comprised of new combinations of species and new pathways, such as energy flows and feedbacks, that capture available resources and maximize power. The idea of novel ecosystems is not entirely new, with the term being coined decades ago in scholarly literature, and the concept appearing in the works of HT Odum decades prior. This study uses Odum’s macroscope to review novel ecosystems in urban green spaces, former agricultural or mining lands, and areas with invasive species within the constructs of HT Odum’s general systems framework. Consideration is given to novel ecosystems in environmental ethics, the position of humans as part of nature, and the implications in environmental policy and management.