Ecology and Society: The Adaptive Cycle

[@trishango5802]

This is insightful, informative, and has tied many concepts that I have so far learned in my ecology classes. Thank you very very much!

[@davidlewis6728]

this is very well presented. you did a very good job with research.

[@simonwebster1006]

Very useful video, Thanks! Can also use the example of coral reeds when they are bleached but then recover.

[@aleksandraoravsky]

💯thank you!

[@sabinamaharjan2654]

It was really useful. Can you also tell us more about the little tail in the back loop? Thank you :)

[@7saany]

Best adaptive cycle vidwo

[@kathryn8955]

Very helpful

[@marinahawkins1762]

Link to Prezi: prezi.com/view/QIFYpmyfRH3t4vrzWe7n/ Transcript: Hey guys, my name is Marina Hawkins, and I am currently a student in the Ecology and Society course at Texas A&M University taught by Dr. Bixler. I want to introduce you all to an important map for resilience thinking, which is the adaptive cycle. All ecosystems, at every level, go through the four stages of the adaptive cycle: exploitation, conservation, release, and finally reorganization. In this video, we will define these four stages using the three properties that determine the characteristics for each cycle, and I’ll also go through two examples of systems analyzed using the adaptive cycle as a model. The characteristics that we use to describe the state of each system are potential, connectedness, and resilience. Potential describes the capacity for future change, and sets the limits as to what is possible. Connectedness describes how well a system can adapt by using its internal controls, as opposed to being influenced or regulated by external variables. And finally, resilience describes how vulnerable a system is to unexpected disturbances that can push it past its threshold. In other words, it’s the capacity of a system to tolerate disturbances without collapsing. As I mentioned, we’ll be using these key properties to examine the unique, defining characteristics of each phase in the adaptive cycle. So we’ll start with the exploitation stage, which is also commonly known as the growth phase. This cycle is characterized by rapid expansion. Actors in the system are just beginning to be established, and the opportunities appear limitless. The resources are exploited at an exponentially high rate in order to take advantage of all the opportunities being presented. The r phase, or growth phase, is characterized by a declining potential for future change. The exploitation of resources limits the future possibilities for the system. The connectedness in the r phase is low as well. Since the system is only just being established, no strong internal connections have been formed. The resilience of the system however is high. Because of the few internal connections, it’s easy for the system to adapt to external variables. After exploitation phase comes the conservation, or k phase in the adaptive cycle. This stage has also been called the consolidation phase, and is characterized by accumulation of resources. As the system approaches maximum capacity, the growth rate slows. Connections within the system increase and become stronger, causing the system to become more rigid and structured. The potential at this phase increases from the r phase, being characterized as high. As resources are being stored now rather than quickly exploited, the high capital allows once again for many possibilities for future allocations. The connectedness for the conservation phase is also high. In both structural and organizational terms, the system continues to increase its connections in this phase, making it more rigid and less flexible. Due to this rigidity though, the resilience of the system at this phase decreases dramatically, and is characterized as low at this phase. Together, the exploitation and conservation phases are known as the fore-loop in the adaptive cycle. This sequence is slower compared to the back-loop of the adaptive cycle, and systems spend most of their time here. As we discussed, connections and overall system stability increases during the fore-loop phase, as does growth and resource accumulation. However all of this attributes to a rigidity of the system that makes it brittle and poised for breakdown. This system structure that is on the edge of caving in brings us into our next phase in the adaptive cycle. The release, or omega phase, is also known as the collapse phase. This is when the system undergoes a shock or disturbance that exceeds its resilience levels. Due to this, all the connections formed in the conservation phase are severed, and chaos reigns in the system. During the omega phase, the potential of the system declines dramatically. Resources are abruptly lost or exhausted, destroying future possibility of use. The connectedness level during the release phase was high at the beginning, however as time progresses through this shock or disturbance those connections are destroyed, and once again the system finds itself unable to control for the external variables that are acting upon it. As a result, the resilience of this system is also low, as its overall adaptability lowers dramatically. After the collapse of the system comes the next phase in the adaptive cycle, the reorganization or alpha phase. This is also known and seen as the renewal phase. At this point because of uncertainty about future possibilities, the system is open to reorganization. The likelihood of creative change is the highest at this phase in the adaptive cycle. So looking at the potential for the alpha, or reorganization phase, it makes sense that there is a high potential for change, meaning that the future outlook is flexible and not yet concrete. Since the system is once again being reformed and reorganized, the connectedness at the alpha phase is once again low. However, the resilience for the system is once again high. Due to the wide region of stability at this phase, it’s easy for the system to adapt to any external disturbances. Together, the release phase and reorganization phase are known as the back-loop. The back loop is characterized by a much shorter and faster period that creates opportunities for innovation, redesign, reorganization, and renewal by the redistribution of resources. Now, I’m going to use two examples I adapted from “Assessing and Managing Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems: A Practitioner's Workbook” to demonstrate real life examples of social-ecological systems as they move through the adaptive cycle. The first example is one of the telephone company Bell System, back in the 1890s. The expiration of patents caused the Bell System to lose its monopoly over the telephone industry, sparking the release, or omega phase. During the reorganization phase, Bell System restructured by hiring new leadership and proposing new business strategies to once again assert dominance. This led them into the growth phase, when Bell began acquiring other companies and exploiting their resources, and this finally led to the conservations stage, when Bell Systems once again gained enough power and connections to become a regulated monopoly. The second, and most popular example for explaining the adaptive cycle is that of a forest fire. Forest succession begins with bare, fertile soil that is quickly colonized by grasses and shrubs who can thrive in that environment. This would be considered the growth phase. The forest will begin to mature, structure increases, and reach its maximum carrying capacity for growth , which by definition is the conservation, or k stage. A combination of excess biomass, dry conditions, and a spark can spur a forest fire. This destruction of all existing structure is the release phase. Following the fire’s destructive rampage, the forest can enter the reorganization phase. Regeneration of plant life and various forms of capital will set the stage for the following forest succession and its developmental growth phase. In conclusion, the adaptive cycle is used to study the dynamics of constantly changing social-ecological systems. The adaptive cycle accounts for both the stability and change in complex systems, and is a useful map in resilience thinking.

[@Faustobellissimo]

What do "r" and "K" stand for?

[@hannaanday2076]

R: exploitation - rapid colonization of an ecosystem, quick growth - low connectedness and potential K: conservation - the slow accumulation of resources, slower growth - high potential and connectedness

[@davidlewis6728]

@@hannaanday2076 might it also have something to do with k/r theory?

[@mmmmichellelala]

anyone have the prezi link?

[@davidhurst4811]

For the application of the adaptive cycle to management see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6PcqX1oatWXi7s