// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did regeneration say to ecology? "You grow on me.
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In ecology regeneration is the ability of an ecosystem – specifically, the environment and its living population – to renew and recover from damage. It is a kind of biological regeneration.
Process
[edit]Regeneration occurs in an ecosystem in response to organisms, principally plants, being eaten, disturbed, or harvested. Regeneration's biggest force is photosynthesis which transforms solar energy and nutrients into plant biomass. Resilience to minor disturbances is one characteristic feature of healthy ecosystems. Following major (lethal) disturbances, such as a fire or pest outbreak in a forest, an immediate return to the previous dynamic equilibrium will not be possible. Instead, pioneering species will occupy, compete for space, and establish themselves in the newly opened habitat. The new growth of seedlings and community assembly process is known as regeneration in ecology.[1][2]
Paradigm
[edit]In the 2020s, there is debate in sustainability science about regeneration, either as a new scholarly paradigm, an alternative to sustainability, or a sustainability strategy.[3][4]
See also
[edit]- Bush regeneration – Type of ecological restoration in Australia
- Biocapacity – Estimate of an ecosystem's production of certain biological materials
- Ecological restoration – Scientific study of renewing and restoring ecosystems
- Ecological stability – When an ecosystem does not drastically change over time even after perturbation}
- Forest ecology – Study of interactions between the biota and environment in forests
- Pioneer species – First species to colonize or inhabit damaged ecosystems
- Soil regeneration – Creation of new soil and rejuvenation of soil health
References
[edit]- ↑ Dietze, M. C.; Clark, J. S. (2008). "Changing the gap dynamics paradigm: Vegetative regenerative control on forest response to disturbance" (PDF). Ecological Monographs. 78 (3): 331–347. Bibcode:2008EcoM...78..331D. doi:10.1890/07-0271.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
- ↑ Bailey, J. D.; Covington, W. W. (2002). "Evaluation ponderosa pine regeneration rates following ecological restoration treatments in northern Arizona, USA" (PDF). Forest Ecology and Management. 155 (1–3): 271–278. Bibcode:2002ForEM.155..271B. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00564-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
- ↑ Hartmann, Eric (2025). "Sustainability Strategies: What's in a Name?". Sustainable Development. 33 (4): 5983–5997. doi:10.1002/sd.3443. hdl:10419/330166. ISSN 1099-1719.
- ↑ Fischer, Joern; Farny, Steffen; Abson, David J.; Zuin Zeidler, Vânia; von Salisch, Maria; Schaltegger, Stefan; Martín-López, Berta; Temperton, Vicky M.; Kümmerer, Klaus (2024-06-12). "Mainstreaming regenerative dynamics for sustainability". Nature Sustainability. 7 (8): 964–972. Bibcode:2024NatSu...7..964F. doi:10.1038/s41893-024-01368-w. ISSN 2398-9629.
Further reading
[edit]- David M. Smith (1996). "Ecology of Regeneration" (PDF). The Practice of Silviculture. Wiley. ISBN 978-0471800200.