Santos – Anthroposystem Concept

1. Santos – Anthroposystem Concept • Study of human environments – since humans are • Depleting the plant’s natural resources • Polluting the environment • Anthroposystem – basic scientific principles that the economy is subject to the laws of ecology • Forces people to think in terms of sustainable system, not just sustainable economic development • Society requires a sustainable economic system and industrial processes that mimic natural ecosystems • Helps us comprehend the ways in which the real world diverges from the ideal • Structural and functional unit of the environment • Self – contained system provided it has an energy source • The four components: matrix – composed of all non-living and non-productive parts of the system (ie. Roads) producers – manufactures products (agricultural, industrial, and ecospheric resources) consumers –humans and domesticated animals decomposers – WWTP, resource recovery pants, natural decomposers of ecosphere • Ecological perspective – concept of sustainable economic development does not make easier the connection of a stable society functioning within an ecosphere. • Ecology – the interaction of organisms with each other and their environment • Energy used is never completely efficient (cannot be recycled) saf

2. Prof Husar - Ecosystem and the Biosphere • Anthroposystem – human analog • 3 groups • Producers – energy production, manufacturing, and growing food • Consumers – humans and domestic animals • Recyclers (Decomposers) – WWT, recycling metals and solid waste • Lacks efficient material recyclers that allow sustainable development. • Open system • Environmental spheres analogy extends the ecosystem analogy • Considers the flow of matter in all environmental compartments (air, land, water, biota) • Closes the system by following the flow and fate of matter, regardless of location and medium of transfer • Concludes human activities most closely resemble the role of the biosphere in the mobilization of matter • 3 groups • Producers – plants, bacteria • Consumers – animals and their consumption • Decomposer – fungi and bacterial • Nature is capable of sustaining the producer-consumer-decomposer cycle saf

3. Critical Comparison of both • Similarities • Both require an understanding of the interaction between human activates and natural process • Both have anthroposystem and ecosystem • Economic and ecological systems are interwoven and overlapping but separate • Difference between the ecosystem and anthroposystem is the physical separation of producers, consumers and recyclers • Differences • Santos • Anthroposystem • 4 components: matrix, producers, consumers, decomposers • Self-contained system provided it has an energy source • Requires a sustainable economy to recycle used products and resources • Requires an economy that minimizes pollution • Prof Husar • Anthroposystem • 3 components : producers, consumers, and decomposers • Open system saf