1.2.2—Systems approach

A holistic systems approach keeps the interactions needed to explain a whole situation visible instead of studying every part in isolation.

Choose a boundary, locate storages, then trace matter and energy inputs, internal flows and outputs. Include detail only when it changes the explanation.

In a pond, water and biomass are storages; sunlight enters, feeding transfers matter, and heat leaves.

Only if it changes the question; holistic does not mean exhaustive.

Holistic does not mean including every detail; it means preserving important interactions.