 |
Causal Patterns in Ecosystems Section 4: Decay Takes Time: Detecting Causal Relationships Despite Temporal Delays Ecosystems > Section 4 > Understanding Goals |
Understanding Goals
Subject Matter
- Decomposition or decay is a process that happens over time.
- Variables such as temperature and moisture affect rate of decay.
Causality
- It can be hard to detect the cause of something when there is a time delay between the cause and noticeable effects.
- It can be hard to see certain events as connected in systems when it takes a long time for the effects to become noticeable, or when there is a time delay between causes and effects.
- Decay is characterized by cyclic causality. It is hard to see the cyclic pattern because of time delays and causes that you can't see.
©2002, President and Fellows of Harvard College, Understandings of Consequence Project