Abstract Ecosystems are rather complicated structures. For their modelling the use of the homology principle leads to complex systems of equations with solution possibilities limited both by computer time and capacity as well as by insufficient knowledge. Two theoretical approaches were developed independently for deriving the structure and parameters of the model: thermodynamic and cybernetic. The aim of the present paper is to confront the two approaches. Optimization is the basic principle of both approaches. The direct goals tackled until now were different, but not in contradiction. On the contrary, for deriving theoretical relations between process rates and internal control variables used in the cybernetic approach, the thermodynamic optimization procedure offers a supplement to the cybernetic method. The combination of these two approaches seems worthwhile in order to develop further the methodology of ecosystem modelling.
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