TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards an ecosystem semiotics. Some basic aspects for a new research programme
AU - Nielsen, Soeren Nors
PY - 2007/1/1
Y1 - 2007/1/1
N2 - The paper argues that ecosystem should be recognized as semiotic systems and that it is necessary to carry out studies of the ongoing semiotic processes in addition to traditional ecosystem research. It is suggested that interpretation of ecosystems within such a semiotic framework is of utmost importance and essential if we want to fully understand the complexity issue and how complex behaviour comes about at this level of biological hierarchy. This area-called ecosystem semiotics-is suggested to become a new direction of study dedicated to this understanding. As a consequence of the ontic character of ecosystem complexity, studies on the importance of semiotic processes can only be synthesized through modelling efforts. Hitherto, this type of process with a few exceptions has been neglected or at best only implicitly integrated and accounted for in ecosystem models. In the future, ecosystem models will need to integrate this type of behaviour in order to get full insight into the causal mechanisms behind the emergence of their complex behaviour. In addition, the concept of exergy in its classical form derived by Evans is suggested as a platform to integrate thermodynamic information of the systems as a complexity measure. The thermodynamic information may be split into parts that causally originate in the ontic existence of various ecosystem elements. Ecosystem semiotics is thought to considerably increase the thermodynamic efficiency of the ecosystem, leading to an increase in thermodynamic information and for instance ascendancy that would not have existed if it was not emerging from the semiotic processes. In other words, by incorporating semiotics, we add a "metaphysical" layer to our models, which may be referred to as the semiotype of the system. The semiotype acts as downward causation on the lower layers of interactions and allows for modification and adaptations of existing genotype or phenotype possibilities that would not be possible without the existence of semiosis and cognitive processes.
AB - The paper argues that ecosystem should be recognized as semiotic systems and that it is necessary to carry out studies of the ongoing semiotic processes in addition to traditional ecosystem research. It is suggested that interpretation of ecosystems within such a semiotic framework is of utmost importance and essential if we want to fully understand the complexity issue and how complex behaviour comes about at this level of biological hierarchy. This area-called ecosystem semiotics-is suggested to become a new direction of study dedicated to this understanding. As a consequence of the ontic character of ecosystem complexity, studies on the importance of semiotic processes can only be synthesized through modelling efforts. Hitherto, this type of process with a few exceptions has been neglected or at best only implicitly integrated and accounted for in ecosystem models. In the future, ecosystem models will need to integrate this type of behaviour in order to get full insight into the causal mechanisms behind the emergence of their complex behaviour. In addition, the concept of exergy in its classical form derived by Evans is suggested as a platform to integrate thermodynamic information of the systems as a complexity measure. The thermodynamic information may be split into parts that causally originate in the ontic existence of various ecosystem elements. Ecosystem semiotics is thought to considerably increase the thermodynamic efficiency of the ecosystem, leading to an increase in thermodynamic information and for instance ascendancy that would not have existed if it was not emerging from the semiotic processes. In other words, by incorporating semiotics, we add a "metaphysical" layer to our models, which may be referred to as the semiotype of the system. The semiotype acts as downward causation on the lower layers of interactions and allows for modification and adaptations of existing genotype or phenotype possibilities that would not be possible without the existence of semiosis and cognitive processes.
KW - Ascendancy
KW - Complexity
KW - Ecosystem
KW - Emergent property
KW - Indirect effects
KW - Information
KW - Niche construction
KW - Semiotics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34447248784&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecocom.2007.04.001
DO - 10.1016/j.ecocom.2007.04.001
M3 - Comment/debate
AN - SCOPUS:34447248784
SN - 1476-945X
VL - 4
SP - 93
EP - 101
JO - Ecological Complexity
JF - Ecological Complexity
IS - 3
ER -