New scientific revolution in ecology and hydrobiology: hi-ecological technologies. http://scipeople.com/publication/70236/;
S.A.Ostroumov
Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991
Published: Ostroumov S.A. New scientific revolution in ecology and hydrobiology: hi-ecological technolo...
New scientific revolution in ecology and hydrobiology: hi-ecological technologies. http://scipeople.com/publication/70236/;
S.A.Ostroumov
Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991
Published: Ostroumov S.A. New scientific revolution in ecology and hydrobiology: hi-ecological technologies. — Ecological Studies, Hazards, Solutions, 2006, v. 11, p. 22-24.
[This is the second draft for the site, with slight additional editing].
Key words: new scientific revolution, ecology, hydrobiology, ecological technology, biotechnology, environmental science, biology, biosphere, fundamental concepts, chemical communication, signals, preventing global change, ecosystems
The scientific achievements in several areas of modern science made less visible some important advances made in ecology and environmental science. They are:
Re-visiting some basic concepts. Several fundamental notions of ecology are undergoing a significant change. E.g., among the basic concepts of ecology is the concept of ecological optimum associated with many ecological factors. According to that concept, each or almost each of ecological factors there is some optimum (say, optimal temperature etc), at which organisms of the given species feel most comfortable and demonstrate maximum productivity. The research done by Professor A. S. Konstantinov (his presentation at this session, Aquatic Ecosystems, Organisms, Innovations, Moscow, 2005) (12) demonstrated that this concept is no longer correct. He proposed and substantiated a new concept of ecological optimum that is different from the currently accepted.
Information network in the biosphere. We see now that the biological communities are not only the trophic webs but also networks of the information flows. The information channel are based on several types of communication: physical (optical, acoustical, possibly electromagnetic), and chemical (chemical signals). The details of the chemical communication were analyzed in our publications (9-11).
Self-maintenance mechanisms. The relative stability of ecological systems and the biosphere as whole is a surprising fact. The stability of the thermal conditions, the stability of the biotic communities, the stability of the chemical composition of water are important things that cannot be taken for granted. There are some complex ecological mechanisms behind those facts of stability. One of those mechanisms is the ecological mechanism for water self-purification in freshwater bodies and streams, as well as in marine systems. It was described in (8).
Practical applications. There are several interrelated ways of practical usage of new ecological knowledge.
Example 1: phytoremediation. More detail, in (3).
Example 2: preventing global change. It was shown that the global change is prevented or mitigated by a number of ecological or biogeochemical processes (5, 7). Those processes and the biota which is the driving force for the processes should be better studied and protected.
Example 3: preventing new potential forms of terrorism (bioterrorism, ecoterrorism). Usually the term 'bioterrorism' is interpreted as something to do with harmful microorganisms and other infectious agents, including genetically constructed. They are dangerous, but the prophylaxis of bioterrorism must cover a broader range of potential threats. In our ecological analysis, we found the threats that we designated as 'the ecological hazard of the first type' and 'the ecological hazard of the second type' (1, 4, 6). Those threats are to be better studied and we are looking for sponsorship in studying them and the ways to counter the threats. We already discovered important biotic mechanisms that serve as a beneficial remedy to prevent the threat of the ecological hazard of the second type (1, 4, 6).
Concluding remark. The common denominator of many of the ecological mechanisms mentioned above is that they meet the criteria that we formulated in some of our recent publications as the criteria for a hi-tech device in the field of technology. Hence, we can consider some ecological mechanisms (involved in information transfer, in self-purification etc) as ecological analogy of high technology. We suggest to use the term 'hi-ecological technologies' that we can found in natural ecosystems; we may create them in artificial ecosystems. The systems for phytoremediation is a good example.
Literature - see the attached file.
