Some of the best known and most widely used sustainability measures include corporate sustainability reporting, Triple Bottom Line accounting, and estimates of the quality of sustainability governance for individual countries using the Environmental Sustainability Index and Environmental Performance Index. An alternative approach, used by the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme and explicitly critical of the triple-bottom-line approach is Circles of Sustainability.
Thank you Sir. But I wanted to know about a method that can measure Sustainability of a biological/ecological system by tracking the interactions among abiotic & all biotic factors which might be enclosed in a specific geographical area.
Species are limited to certain environments because of abiotic factors like temperature, light, oxygen levels, nutrients, and salinity. The variation of abiotic factors that certain species can survive and reproduce within is called the tolerance range. Liebig's Law of the Minimum of 1840 implies that only one abiotic factor is responsible for the control of species in their environment. Since then, it has become clear that complicated interactions between a multitude of abiotic factors, such as salinity, temperature, and depth (or pressure), are what control the abundance of certain species in particular areas of the planet.
An example of an ecosystem and its abiotic factors include shoreline ecosystems, which are harsh environments. Organisms surviving here must be able to withstand strong waves, high intensity light, and sandy, rocky, or icy substrates. Barnacles, mussels, and shellfish adapt to this environment by latching on to substrate with strong appendages. Ghost crabs have adapted by burying themselves in the sand to avoid being carried away by waves. Coral reefs, which provide a home for about 40% of all fish in the sea, are extremely sensitive to changes in the abiotic factors that affect them, such as temperature and chemical make-up of the water. Creatures of the deep sea are particularly well adapted to their environment and to their abiotic factors. They must survive with no sunlight, cold temperatures, and extreme pressure. Nevertheless, this ocean region is home to a variety of bioluminescent fish, chemoautotrophic bacteria, and other mysterious and strange creatures.
Salt marsh and estuary ecosystems are found where fresh water mixes with salt water. Salt marshes are filled with grasses in a shallow and muddy environment. There is an abundance of nutrients and a high level of protection here for juvenile species to develop. The deeper and less sheltered estuaries contain oysters, clams, crabs, and larger animals like the manatee.
References
EPA - Marine Ecosystems
NOAA Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation
Oceans & Climate - The Ocean's Role In Climate & Climate Change, Michael S. McCartney, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Wikipedia: Biological interaction
Wikipedia: Keystone species
Abiotic Factors and the Distribution of Species, PhysicalGeography.net
The Open Door Web Site: IB Biology: Ecology: The Competitive Exclusion Principle
Marine Ecological Processes, Ivan Vahiela; CH1, CH2, CH4, CH8, CH15
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