Definition of natural system

Within the classification of systems according to their origin, a natural system is a type of system that was not created by man, but emanates from nature itself. In other words, in natural systems man has not intervened at all in their constitution.

Depending on its origin, a system can be classified as an artificial, natural, or social system. Some bibliographies include the social system within the artificial system because, ultimately, it is created by man.

So, ultimately, systems can be basically classified into two: artificial systems or natural systems.

Examples of natural systems

Any system that emanates from nature is a natural system: the water cycle, the Earth, a plant, the solar system, a dog, the ocean current system, etc.

Goal or purpose of natural systems

Unlike artificial systems, which are created by man for specific purposes and are generally known to work, natural systems do not have a purpose of their own, they simply do what they do because of the rules of physics and, in general, do what they do. the case of living beings, also of survival.

In any case, when studying a natural system we can give it objectives with respect to its environment (its ecosystem), for example, what is the objective of a tree? Provide oxygen to the environment, get rid of carbon dioxide from it, serve as shelter and shade for animals, etc. They are all purposes that the human being recognizes in a tree.

For more information read below: Ecosystems.

Example of a natural system: a tree from the systemic point of view

Example of a natural system: the water cycle

Ecosystems

An ecosystem is a community of interacting organisms and the physical environment in which they live. Humans and their buildings and settlements are part of this community, which can include birds, plants, and insects, as well as inorganic matter (such as rocks and metals) and natural forces (such as the flow of water, fire, or the chemistry of photosynthesis). ). All of them are linked and interact as a complex web of life.

Western culture has a tradition of thinking of people as separate from natural systems and not part of their environment, even though the natural world can still be highly valued. This separation is so easy on a day-to-day basis because of people’s ability to change and – to some degree – control their physical environment. This is also in part because our everyday systems and technologies tend to make it easy to feel detached from natural processes. You can turn on a faucet and get fresh water without having to think about the impact of taking water from a nearby river or from underground. You can flush the toilet without having to think about where it’s going.

This is changing, as many people are finding that water abstraction or sewage impacts are disrupting the natural processes that sustain them in other ways. It is becoming increasingly obvious that human beings are embedded in their surrounding ecosystem, and that the built and designed parts of our communities need to conform to the processes of the larger natural ecosystem if the entire system is to survive in the long term.

Ecosystems overlap, and also exist at various levels – from an entire estuary to a small pond community. But even if it is difficult to see where one begins and ends, one can clearly see the functions of the different systems. What makes each a system are the links and dependencies of one part with respect to another. These dependencies become obvious when one part begins to fail and stresses appear in other parts of the system.

These dependencies, in addition, will allow us to evaluate what are the purposes or objectives of the natural systems within the ecosystem.

Natural systems and human-artificial systems

In the field of ecology, a natural system is one that exists in nature, independently of human involvement. The natural system consists of all physical and biological materials and their interlocking processes.

Human systems or social systems coexist and interact with natural systems in many ways. Natural systems can be studied and used and even duplicated, but in that case they become artificial systems. Fundamental natural systems remain unaltered by human attempts at duplication or imitation.

The study of natural systems is important in several fields, agriculture being one of them. Agriculture is an example of an artificial (man-made) system being introduced into an existing natural system. Although the agricultural system works according to its calendar and its artificial processes, it is affected by fundamental natural processes such as the weather, the capacity of the soil to produce crops, the feeding patterns of livestock and others.

The study of the complex interactions between human societies and natural systems has become increasingly important in the 21st century. In the past, the two disciplines of sociology (the study of human society) and ecology were formally separate, but the relationships between human activity and the natural environment are crucial to solving environmental problems.