ABSTRACT
Ecosystems grow and develop, but under the constraints of the thermodynamic laws and the biochemistry of organisms. Ecosystems have three growth forms: growth of biomass, growth of the network, and growth of information, which cover Odum’s attributes for the development of ecosystems. An understanding of how ecosystems are able to grow and develop in spite of the constraints requires an introduction to new thermodynamic concepts: maximum power, emergy, and exergy (both technological and ecological exergy, denoted eco-exergy).
