Panarchy Glossary
- Adaptive Cycle
The interactions among the biotic and abiotic elements of system within a single scale, including elements’ organization, growth, and decay.
- Ecological Resilience
The capacity of a system to withstand disturbances without altering established processes, functions, and structures. This concept can be applied to other systems such as economies, governments, or companies, despite the term “ecological”.
- Hierarchy
Method of structural organization where influence only travels from the top scale through middle scales (if any) to the bottom scale.
- Panarchy
A nested set of adaptive cycles. Unlike in a hierarchy, influence comes not just from the top down but also from the bottom up.
- Remember
Pathway in a panarchy that occurs when the renewal phase of the scale organizes according to the structure and processes of the larger and slower scale above it.
- Revolt
Pathway in a panarchy that occurs when events at fast and small scales accumulate and overwhelm structures at large and slow scales.
- System
A whole made up of interacting components.