The Ecology of Collective Behavior
Will be published approx. on 24. October 2023
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-0-691-23214-0 (ISBN)
Description
A groundbreaking new perspective on collective behavior across biological systems
Collective behavior is everywhere in nature, from gene transcription and cancer cells to ant colonies and human societies. It operates without central control, using local interactions among participants to allow groups to adjust to changing conditions. The Ecology of Collective Behavior brings together ideas from evolutionary biology, network science, and dynamical systems to present an ecological approach to understanding how the interactions of individuals generate collective outcomes.
Deborah Gordon argues that the starting point for explaining how collective behavior works in any natural system is to consider how it changes in relation to the changing world around it. She shows how feedback use-the means by which networks of interactions operate-and the organization of interaction networks evolve to reflect the stability and demands of the environment. Ant colonies function collectively, and the enormous diversity of species in different habitats provides opportunities to look for general ecological patterns. Through an in-depth comparison of ant species, Gordon identifies broad trends in how the diversity of collective behavior in many other collective systems reflects the dynamics of the environment.
Shedding light on how individual actions give rise to group behavior, The Ecology of Collective Behavior explains the evolution of collective behavior through innovation in participant interactions, offering new insights into how collective responses function in changing conditions.
Collective behavior is everywhere in nature, from gene transcription and cancer cells to ant colonies and human societies. It operates without central control, using local interactions among participants to allow groups to adjust to changing conditions. The Ecology of Collective Behavior brings together ideas from evolutionary biology, network science, and dynamical systems to present an ecological approach to understanding how the interactions of individuals generate collective outcomes.
Deborah Gordon argues that the starting point for explaining how collective behavior works in any natural system is to consider how it changes in relation to the changing world around it. She shows how feedback use-the means by which networks of interactions operate-and the organization of interaction networks evolve to reflect the stability and demands of the environment. Ant colonies function collectively, and the enormous diversity of species in different habitats provides opportunities to look for general ecological patterns. Through an in-depth comparison of ant species, Gordon identifies broad trends in how the diversity of collective behavior in many other collective systems reflects the dynamics of the environment.
Shedding light on how individual actions give rise to group behavior, The Ecology of Collective Behavior explains the evolution of collective behavior through innovation in participant interactions, offering new insights into how collective responses function in changing conditions.
Reviews / Votes
"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year" "Based on her many years of work with two ant colonies, one in an arid desert and one in a lush tropical forest, Deborah M. Gordon has written a detailed, incisive account of the differences in their collective behaviours, and the extent to which behavioural patterns are influenced by their environment."---David M. Gascoigne, Travels With Birds "An expansive view of the theory of collective behavior. . . . [The Ecology of Collective Behavior] goes beyond earlier models proposed in evolution and ecology (e.g., individual versus group selection). Gordon proposes new and productive avenues for studying the complex interactions of organisms and environment." * Choice * "Though this book is aimed at biologists studying collective behaviour, the subject matter here is easily accessible to ecologists and evolutionary biologists more generally. The verbal argumentation and numerous examples also put this book within reach of interested general readers. The emphasis on an actionable framework illustrated by [Gordon's] decades-long research on ants makes for a particularly grounded, can-do book. Overall, a very interesting perspective."---Leon Vlieger, The Inquisitive BiologistMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
7 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-23214-0 (9780691232140)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Deborah M. Gordon
The Ecology of Collective Behavior
E-Book
10/2023
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€28.99
Available for download
Person
Deborah M. Gordon is professor of biology at Stanford University. She is the author of Ant Encounters: Interaction Networks and Colony Behavior (Princeton) and Ants at Work: How an Insect Society Is Organized.