Self-Organization in Biological Systems

by Camazine, Scott; Deneubourg, Jean-Louis; Franks, Nigel R.; Sneyd, James; Theraulaz, Guy

• ISBN13: 9780691012117
• ISBN10: 0691012113
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

The synchronized flashing of fireflies at night. The spiraling patterns of an aggregating slime mold. The anastomosing network of army-ant trails. The coordinated movements of a school of fish. Researchers are finding in such patterns--phenomena that have fascinated naturalists for centuries--a fertile new approach to understanding biological systems: the study of self-organization. This book, a primer on self-organization in biological systems for students and other enthusiasts, introduces readers to the basic concepts and tools for studying self-organization and then examines numerous examples of self-organization in the natural world.Self-organization refers to diverse pattern formation processes in the physical and biological world, from sand grains assembling into rippled dunes to cells combining to create highly structured tissues to individual insects working to create sophisticated societies. What these diverse systems hold in common is the proximate means by which they acquire order and structure. In self-organizing systems, pattern at the global level emerges solely from interactions among lower-level components. Remarkably, even very complex structures result from the iteration of surprisingly simple behaviors performed by individuals relying on only local information. This striking conclusion suggests important lines of inquiry: To what degree is environmental rather than individual complexity responsible for group complexity? To what extent have widely differing organisms adopted similar, convergent strategies of pattern formation? How, specifically, has natural selection determined the rules governing interactions within biological systems?Broad in scope, thorough yet accessible, this book is a self-contained introduction to self-organization and complexity in biology--a field of study at the forefront of life sciences research.

Author Biography

Eric Bonabeau is Chief Scientist at EuroBios in Paris, France.

Table of Contents

Explanation of Color Plates	vii
Prologue: Aims and Scope of the Book	2	(3)
Part I. Introduction to Biological Self-Organization	5	(88)
What Is Self-Organization?	7	(8)
How Self-Organization Works	15	(14)
Characteristics of Self-Organizing Systems	29	(18)
Alternatives to Self-Organization	47	(16)
Why Self-Organization?	63	(6)
Investigation of Self-Organization	69	(19)
Misconceptions about Self-Organization	88	(5)
Part II. Case Studies	93	(390)
Pattern Formation in Slime Molds and Bacteria	95	(26)
Feeding Aggregations of Bark Beetles	121	(22)
Synchronized Flashing among Fireflies	143	(24)
Fish Schooling	167	(22)
Nectar Source Selection by Honey Bees	189	(28)
Trail Formation in Ants	217	(40)
The Swarm Raids of Army Ants	257	(28)
Colony Thermoregulation in Honey Bees	285	(24)
Comb Patterns in Honey Bee Colonies	309	(32)
Wall Building by Ants	341	(36)
Termite Mound Building	377	(28)
Construction Algorithms in Wasps	405	(38)
Dominance Hierarchies in Paper Wasps	443	(40)
Part III. Conclusions	483	(12)
Lessons, Speculations, and the Future of Self-Organization	485	(10)
Notes	495	(2)
References	497	(28)
Index	525