In ecology regeneration is the ability of an ecosystem – specifically, the environment and its living population – to renew and recover from damage. It is a kind of biological regeneration.

Regeneration occurs in an ecosystem in response to organisms being eaten, disturbed, or harvested. Regeneration's biggest force is photosynthesis which transforms sun energy and nutrients into plant biomass. Resilience to minor disturbances is one characteristic feature of healthy ecosystems. Following major (lethal) disturbances, such as a fire or pest outbreak in a forest, an immediate return to the previous dynamic equilibrium will not be possible. Instead, pioneering species will occupy, compete for space, and establish themselves in the newly opened habitat. The new growth of seedlings and community assembly process is known as regeneration in ecology.^[1][2]

In the 2020s, there is debate in sustainability science about regeneration, either as a new scholarly paradigm, an alternative to sustainability, or a sustainability strategy.^[3][4]

See also

• Bush regeneration – Type of ecological restoration in Australia
• Biocapacity – Estimate of an ecosystem's production of certain biological materials
• Ecological restoration – Scientific study of renewing and restoring ecosystems
• Ecological stability – When an ecosystem does not drastically change over time even after perturbation
• Ecoscaping – Spatial planning discipline
• Forest ecology – Study of interactions between the biota and environment in forests
• Net Primary Productivity – Synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide by biological organismsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Pioneer species – First species to colonize or inhabit damaged ecosystems
• Reforestation – Method for land and forest regeneration
• Regenerative design – Process-oriented whole systems approach to design
• Regenerative agriculture – Conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems
• Soil regeneration – Creation of new soil and rejuvenation of soil health

References

Literature

• David M. Smith (1996). "Ecology of Regeneration" (PDF). The Practice of Silviculture. Wiley. ISBN 978-0471800200.