Characteristic

Natural aquatic ecosystems

Artificial aquatic ecosystems

Number of species

Many

Few

Genetic diversity

High

Low

Ecological succession

Present, takes place over time

Absent

Ecological sustainability

Sustainable

Un-sustainable

Productivity

Extremely variable

Designed for high productivity

Nutrient cycling

Natural

Incomplete

Natural resource extraction

Low

High

Food chains

Long and complex

Simple and often incomplete

Nature of habitat

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous

Nature of landscape

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous

Use of herbicides, pesticides and insecticides

Low

Heavy

Importation of non-solar energy

Small

Large

Importation of nutrient supplements

Small

Large

Soil characteristics

Divergent

Convergent

Hydrological cycles

Natural

Modified

Biotic and physical disturbance regimes

Normal

Reduced

Mobility of people, goods and services

Local

Global

Species diversity

High

Low

Production

Low

High

Productivity

Medium

Low/medium

Diversity

High

Low

Human displacement of ecological processes

Low

High

Reliance on external human inputs

Low

High

Autonomy

High

Low

Sustainability

High

Low

Output stability

Medium

High

Flexibility

High

Low

Resilience

High

Low

Potentiality as outdoor classrooms

Provide outdoor classrooms for the study of biology and ecology

Have little to offer in the way of educational opportunities

Landscape diversity

Diverse landscapes retain the sense of place that sustains language and cultural differences

Monotonous landscape incapable of stimulating diversity of thought, language or creativity

Spiritual value

Spiritual value associated with natural wilderness sustains self esteem of indigenous people

No spiritual value; potential to cause mental illness and increase risk of depression and suicide

Stimulus on artificial expression

Stimulate artificial expression through painting and poetry etc.

Have very little potential for stirring the human soul