Terrariums

I’ve had concerns about the future of life on earth since the first time I saw a terrarium, probably in high school.

It seemed to me that the perfect terrarium would be a miniature earth, a closed system where nothing comes in except sunlight, nothing goes out except heat, and all living things worked in perfect balance. The bugs in the terrarium I saw provided just enough carbon dioxide for the plants, which provided food and oxygen for the bugs. All of the water from perspiration and respiration condensed back into liquid for the organisms to use. Theoretically, the terrarium could stay viable indefinitely without any outside intervention. The University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 is a large example of such a place.

I wonder, what would happen if those bugs had free will and an opposable thumb? Suppose the animals in the terrarium (I’ll call them territes) were consumers of dead and dying leaves who were suddenly given the intelligence and physical ability to manipulate their environment?

The miniature Eden would immediately be lost. The territes would quickly learn faster ways to access food other than crawling up a stalk or waiting for leaves to fall. Since more food was available, mommy and daddy territes would decide to have more maggots, or whatever. Soon their food-gathering technology can’t keep up with the population growth, and they discover how to cultivate. The population growth would continue. Finally the day comes when there is no more room for both territes and plants. The responsible territes start practicing birth control and eat no more than they need to nourish themselves; but some territes believe that birth control is a sin and others can’t control their impulses to eat food that is readily available. So the territe population continues to grow as the food supply starts to diminish. Out of desperation they start harvesting healthy leaves. Soon plants are leafless and territes are starving en masse.
The carbon dioxide in the air….well, you know that story.

It would make a great short animation.