Ecosystem & Biome
Ecosystems as physical systems (D4 keeps the value view)
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Incomplete
3 bundles · 9 layers · 0 findings · 0 questions
typology What kinds of ecosystem exist and how they nest
biome
broad climatic and functional realms
ecosystemType
ecosystem classes with diagnostic composition, structure and setting
extent Which concrete units exist, where, and how they change
ecosystemAsset
mapped ecosystem units with area and boundary
compositionAndStructure
dominant taxa, layering, connectivity and fragmentation
extentChange
conversions between types and net area change between epochs
condition How the system is doing and what it can supply
conditionIndicator
indicator definitions with reference levels and units
processAndFlux
productivity, water and nutrient cycling, carbon exchange
serviceCapacity
physical capacity to supply outputs such as timber increment, pollination, water regulation
pressureAndDisturbance
pressures acting on the asset and recorded disturbance
Note: Legacy card: layers named, findings and questions never written.
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.PHY.LIV.ECO
- Domain
- PHY.LIV.ECO
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- ecosystembiomephy.liv.eco
- Also called
- P8
What it is Derived, awaiting review
This meta-model describes ecosystems as physical systems: the typology that names them, the mapped assets that give them extent and composition, and the condition, processes and biophysical service capacity that describe how they are doing.
Note: First sentence of the legacy card introduction.
Why it exists Filled
Ecosystems as physical systems (D4 keeps the value view)
Distinguishing features Derived, awaiting review
- It is its own model because an ecosystem is more than the sum of its species records (P6, P7) and more than its substrate (P3, P10): it is a bounded functional unit whose extent and condition change and must be tracked as a stock over time.
- This model stays strictly biophysical, in area, condition scores and physical flows; monetary appraisal of ecosystem outputs belongs to C7.
What robots and AI may and may not do Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Moral aspects Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Owners Filled
Steward
An ecology commons steward maintains the ecosystem register: it publishes the typology, delineates assets, runs or accredits condition monitoring and issues extent and condition accounts.
Links to other meta-models Filled
references
- world.floraAndVegetation - composition and structure are evidenced by the taxon and cover records held there
- world.faunaAndWildlife - composition and structure are evidenced by the taxon and cover records held there
- world.waterBodyAndHydrology - aquatic and soil substrate define and constrain many ecosystem types
- world.soilAndAgriculturalLand - aquatic and soil substrate define and constrain many ecosystem types
- world.terrainAndLandform - relief and climate set the setting criteria used by the typology
- world.atmosphereWeatherAndClimate - relief and climate set the setting criteria used by the typology
- world.naturalPhenomenonAndHazard - hazard occurrences supply attributed disturbance records
- world.emissionAndEnvironmentalFlux - emissions and removals link to the process and flux layer without duplicating its accounting
- world.resourceExtractionOperations - pressures and conversions originate from operations described there
- world.agricultureAndHusbandry - pressures and conversions originate from operations described there
- world.officialStatisticsAndIndicators - published accounts are compiled into indicator series there
- world.priceValuationAndAppraisal - monetary appraisal of ecosystem outputs is deliberately out of scope here and belongs to that model
imports
- envo - EXTEND: environment and ecosystem class vocabulary this model specializes
- sweet - ALIGN: earth system process terms for the flux layer
- iucn-global-ecosystem-typology - ALIGN: biome and ecosystem functional group classification
- un-seea-ecosystem-accounting - COMPOSE: the extent and condition account structure used by the projections
requires
- vr.wm-act-012
- vr.wm-ear-005
- vr.wm-eco-014
- vr.wm-liv-004
- vr.wm-plc-001
- vr.wm-plc-003
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Incomplete
Identity and identifiers required Derived, awaiting review
- biome: a broad ecological realm; key attributes: identifier, defining climate and functional traits, global extent reference
- ecosystemType: a class of ecosystem; key attributes: type identifier, definition, parent biome reference, diagnostic composition, source typology
- conditionIndicator: a defined measure of ecosystem state; key attributes: indicator identifier, unit, reference level, direction of improvement, applicable types
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Institutional or informational subject: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Capabilities and actions required Derived, awaiting review
- ecosystemMapPublished: a new delineation of assets for an area was issued for an epoch
- ecosystemAssetReclassified: a unit changed type after reassessment or real conversion
- ecosystemExtentChanged: area was gained or lost between epochs, with the conversion recorded
- conditionAssessmentCompleted: an assessment cycle produced indicator scores for a set of assets
- disturbanceObserved: fire, flood, clearing, storm or infestation altered an asset
- restorationMilestoneObserved: a restored unit reached a stated structural or condition threshold
- serviceCapacityRecomputed: a capacity estimate was updated after new condition or flux data
Legacy events listed as state transitions.
Hazards and failure modes optional Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Standards and interfaces required Derived, awaiting review
- ecosystemAccountExchangeContract: terms for supplying extent and condition accounts to a statistics office at a stated grain and cadence
- monitoringPlotAccessContract: terms for establishing and reading long-term plots on land held by another party
- restorationReportingContract: terms under which an operator reports condition before and after works on an asset
- extentAccount: area by ecosystem type and period with opening and closing stocks; omits plot-level records and asset geometry detail
- conditionScorecard: indicator scores and aggregate condition by type or area; omits raw measurements and site coordinates
- publicEcosystemMap: asset boundaries and types for general use; omits sensitive plot locations and provisional delineations
Context of use required Filled
- Land holders are not displaced by this description, plot-level and sensitive data are released only through S2 access contracts granted by the steward, and reads are logged in S4.
Sources Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Open questions
- Superseded by a researched world model? Map this legacy card to its successor or retire it.
Machine files
Provenance
legacy MMAS card (world-models v0.2) · legacy
Built from: models/world-p8-ecosystem-and-biome/spec.yaml, models/docs/planet-nature/P8-ecosystem-and-biome.md