9.9. Lucht
Keynote Presentations from the 2nd ALTER-Net Summer School, Peyresq 1 - 13 September 2007
Speaker: Wolfgang Lucht
Wolfgang.Lucht -at- pik-potsdam.de
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Personal homepage
Title of the talk: Life´s structure in space and time: Information flow in the biosphere (pdf: 4MB)
Summary of the talk by Björn Reu: Students´ summary (pdf)
Abstract
Life´s structure in space and time: Information flow in the biosphereEarth's biosphere is diverse, but is this a product of evolutionary chance or a necessary outcome? And would re-running evolution lead to a biosphere that is similar to ours or one that is unrecognisable different? What, therefore, is the significance of the particular diversity seen today? What, then, is the particular position of humans in this diversity? Are we one species among many or in a category of our own? Basic concepts of information theory allow to shed some light onto these questions. On the one hand, the information content of organisms and ecosystems can be estimated by analysing their spatial structure, allowing to assess the extent of structural information contained in the biosphere and its diversity. On the other hand, life is a phenomenon characterised by inherited information that flows through channels on the genetic, epigenetic, behavioural and symbolic levels. The relatively recent emergence of human communication systems can be understood as the opening up of an additional information inheritance channel that now is part of the ongoing global transformation of the biosphere.
Recommended background literature on this presentation:
- Huggett RJ (1999) Ecosphere, biosphere, or Gaia? What to call the global ecosystem. Global Ecology and Biogeography 8:425-431 doi:10.1046/j.1365-2699.1999.00158.x
- Schellnhuber HJ (1999) "Earth system" analysis and the second Copernican revolution. Nature, 402:C19-C23. doi:10.1038/35011515
- Lucht W, Schaphoff S, Erbrecht T, Heyder U, Cramer W (2006) Terrestrial vegetation distribution and carbon balance under climate change. (pdf: 3MB)
- Lucht W, Pachauri RK (2006) The mental component of the Earth system. (pdf: 200KB)
