Nick Gasparovich- Module 2 Learning Task

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After creating my system diagram, I began to realize the entire system is a series of positive feedback loops. For example, the village people, local farms, and the biogas generator are connected in a positive feedback loop. The farms produces food for the village people, the people eat the food and produce organic waste, the waste is converted to cooking fuel and compost. The compost is then sent back to farms for more food to be grown, and the cycle starts again. With the biogas generator in the village, the act of growing food will produce more food since more compost will be formed. Village farms have reported that the biogas generator compost is giving the farm better crop yields. The Marten reading diagram and my own have very similar system components. At the same time the way they are organized is quite different. My diagram portrays all of the components as one giant ecosystem, while the Marten diagram suggests there are separate ecosystems (Human and natural) that have a few key connections. These differences prove what was stated in the module reading, people can look at ecosystems on many different scales. In this scenario I saw the village as one large ecosystem, while Marten say the people and the natural environment as two systems.  In my mind these two systems need each other to be successful, neither one is perfectly self-reliant. This also reflects back on the reading, both humans and the environment work together in mutualistic relationshipsbiogas_njg5224.

2 thoughts on “Nick Gasparovich- Module 2 Learning Task”

  1. Hi, Nick, both of us noticed the positive feedback loop in our post. Your graph clearly showed a interconnected system and every components made up this system. You also include some new areas like ‘waterways’ and ‘livestock’ in which I don’t. I agree that you said two systems need each other to be successful. Any single of them would not operate normally.
    Here is my post maybe you would like to check out.
    Hi, I like the way how you illustrate the beneficial and negative impacts. In which mine doesn’t show such difference on the graph. Both of us include the deforestation. However, I never thought about child labor but only mentioned that they have less time for school. I have learned a lot from your graph. But I think you should include the negative health impacts in your graph.
    Here is my post and may be you want to check out.
    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/01/24/learningactivity2_wzz5097/

  2. Hey Nick, I noticed that we each took a very different approach to the layout of our diagrams. Although our layouts were different, we both noticed the positive feedback mechanisms that were prevalent in this system. I liked how you linked the compost to more food for the future. The refined compost will allow the people to grow higher quality crops, and by selling some of it the people may be able to afford food that they didn’t grow on their own. Your circular diagram helped portray the idea that all of these effects are related, and therefore impact each other indirectly. Feel free to check out my post in the link below!

    http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/01/24/biogas-diagram-jared-mummert/

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