Balance of nature

[4] The theory has been discredited by scientists working in ecology, as it has been found that constant disturbances leading to chaotic and dynamic changes are the norm in nature.

[5][13] The validity of a balance of nature was already questioned in the early 1900s, but the general abandonment of the theory by scientists working in ecology only happened in the last quarter of that century, when studies showed that it did not match what could be observed among plant and animal populations.

An experimental example of this was shown in an eight-year study on small Baltic Sea creatures such as plankton, which were isolated from the rest of the ocean.

[10] One of the best-known and often misunderstood examples of ecosystem balance being enhanced by human activity is the Australian Aboriginal practice of fire-stick farming.

[22] Douglas Allchin and Alexander J. Werth assert that although "ecologists formally eschew the concept of balance of nature, it remains a widely adopted preconception and a feature of language that seems not to disappear entirely.

"[2] At least in Midwestern America, the balance of nature idea was shown to be widely held by both science majors and the general student population.

[25] In Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea fantasy series, using magic means to "respect and preserve the immanent metaphysical balance of nature.

[32] In the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, the villain Thanos seeks to restore the balance of nature by eliminating half of the beings in the universe.