1. Toward Understanding Ecological Self-Design through Network Environ Analysis and Design TheoryH. Jeff Turk & David K Gattie Faculty of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GASystems and Engineering Ecology Program Ecological self-designis a commonly used expression to identify the observation that ecosystems over time self-regulate and optimize their organization and function. To date, the insight and understanding of this ability has been nebulous to the point of intractability. This can be attributed to the difficulties arising from understanding and quantifying the indirect effects of a connected system and partly because of the absence of application of an appropriate design theory. Design impliesorganization and organization exists in various entities ranging from institutions, to electrical and mechanical products, to ecosystems.Design theory and the axioms of independence and information provide a scientific basis for the understanding of design organization through the structured mapping of uncoupled, coupled, and decoupled systems. __Design Theory Axioms2 1. The Independence Axiom 2. The Information Axiom Corollaries 1. Decoupling of Coupled Designs 5. Use of Symmetry 2. Minimization of Functional Requirements 6. Largest Tolerance 3. Integration of Physical Parts 7. Uncoupled Design 4. Use of Standardization Network Environ Analysisis an environmental application of Leontief’s input-output analysis. It uses a currency of matter or energy and is a general analytical tool to study objects as part of a connected system. This ability to investigate and map ecosystems as individual compartments within a connected system is foundational to the understanding of the connectedness of nature. Furthermore, the analysis allows effects to be parsed into direct and indirect quantities by the use of graph theory, thereby, increasing both the qualitative and quantitative understanding of the system. Four Hypotheses of Network Environ Analysis1 Amplification: Integral flow along a pathway exceeds direct input. Homogenization: Action of the network makes flow distribution more uniform. Synergism: Positive utility exceeds negative utility giving rise to dominant positive relations. Indirect effects dominance: Indirect flow contribution exceeds direct flow in the network. Upon investigation, intriguing commonalities between ecosystem description, analysis, and design theory are realized. Among others, these similarities include environ coupling/design coupling, and ecosystem goal functions/design goals. Furthermore, and perhaps most compelling, it appears that a similar organizational mapping between ecosystem structure/ function and design structure/ function exists. Consequently, the intent of this work is to highlight potential symmetries between the principles of design theory and environ theory through a discussion of traditional design principles within the framework of ecosystem self-organization. These potential symmetries are examined by quantitative techniques that describe and unify ecosystems as holistic units. References: 1. Fath BD, Patten BC 1999. Review of the Foundations of Network Environ Analysis. Ecosystems 2. 167-179 2. Suh, Nam P, The Principles of Design, Oxford University Press, 1990