Ecology, Aquaculture And Space Colonies

Recent research results show that very small autotrophic/heterotrophic assemblages open to energy but totally isolated from exchanges of matter with external systems persist for years and probably indefinitely. General and specific ecological thermodynamic hypothesis for the behavior of such systems have been proposed and are being tested. Meanwhile, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has initiated a program aimed at the eventual development of bioregenerative human life support systems for extended space travel and planetary colonization. Intensive aquaculture shares many of the characteristics of materially closed energetically open ecosystems and of bioregenerative life support systems. Moreover, intensive aquaculture may prove to be an attractive candidate as a subsystem of future bioregenerative life support systems. Exploring the possibilities for synergism among closed system ecological research, the NASA program and intensive aquaculture seems to offer an intellectually stimulating endeavor which may have long term practical rewards as well.