CLIMAX
Charles François (2004). CLIMAX, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 449.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 449 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented |
The final state towards which an ecosystem tends asymtotically if no significant disturbances occur.
Of course, as any ecosystem exists in a specific metasystem, many significant changes may happen: a permanent change in temperature, or salinity, or humidity; or massive human interference with natural conditions, etc.
Perfect and definitive climaxes do not exist.
Climax could however be an approximate cyclical model. H. ODUM writes: “Systems which have some constant or repeating patterns with time are called climaxes by ecologists” (1971, p.79)
This notion is thus quite akin to dynamic stability, while suffering however from the same limitations.