Abstract
How do systems respond to disturbances? The capacity of a system to respond to disturbances varies for different types of disturbance regimes. We distinguish two types of responses: one that enables the system to absorb disturbances from an existing disturbance regime, and one that enables a system to reconstruct itself after a fundamental change in a disturbance regime. We use immune systems as a model for how systems can deal with disturbances, and use this model to derive insights in adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems. We identify a tension between the two types of responses where one benefits from learning and memory while the other requires fast-turnover of experience. We discuss how this may affect building up adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 93-101 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | EcoHealth |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adaptive capacity
- Disturbance regime
- Immune systems
- Resilience
- Social-ecological systems
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis