‘One physical system’: Tansley's ecosystem as Earth's critical zone

Daniel Deb. Richter; Sharon A. Billings

doi:10.1111/nph.13338

journal article Mar 02, 2015

‘One physical system’: Tansley's ecosystem as Earth's critical zone

Daniel Deb. Richter Sharon A. Billings

New Phytologist Vol. 206 No. 3 pp. 900-912 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/nph.13338

Abstract

SummaryIntegrative concepts of the biosphere, ecosystem, biogeocenosis and, recently, Earth's critical zone embrace scientific disciplines that link matter, energy and organisms in a systems‐level understanding of our remarkable planet. Here, we assert the congruence of Tansley's (1935) venerable ecosystem concept of ‘one physical system’ with Earth science's critical zone. Ecosystems and critical zones are congruent across spatial–temporal scales from vegetation‐clad weathering profiles and hillslopes, small catchments, landscapes, river basins, continents, to Earth's whole terrestrial surface. What may be less obvious is congruence in the vertical dimension. We use ecosystem metabolism to argue that full accounting of photosynthetically fixed carbon includes respiratoryCO2and carbonic acid that propagate to the base of the critical zone itself. Although a small fraction of respiration, the downward diffusion ofCO2helps determine rates of soil formation and, ultimately, ecosystem evolution and resilience. Because life in the upper portions of terrestrial ecosystems significantly affects biogeochemistry throughout weathering profiles, the lower boundaries of most terrestrial ecosystems have been demarcated at depths too shallow to permit a complete understanding of ecosystem structure and function. Opportunities abound to explore connections between upper and lower components of critical‐zone ecosystems, between soils and streams in watersheds, and between plant‐derivedCO2and deep microbial communities and mineral weathering.ContentsSummary900I.Introduction900II.Tansley's ecosystem as ‘one physical system’901III.Earth's critical zone901IV.Historic developments in ecosystem science902V.The metabolism of ecosystems and critical zones905VI.Towards a more active biogeoscience908Acknowledgements909References909

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Details

Published: Mar 02, 2015
Vol/Issue: 206(3)
Pages: 900-912
License: View

Authors

D

Daniel Deb. Richter

Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA

S

Sharon A. Billings

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey University of Kansas Lawrence KS 66047 USA

Cite This Article

Daniel Deb. Richter, Sharon A. Billings (2015). ‘One physical system’: Tansley's ecosystem as Earth's critical zone. New Phytologist, 206(3), 900-912. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13338

‘One physical system’: Tansley's ecosystem as Earth's critical zone

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