Parrish J K, Edelstein-Keshet L
Zoology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Science. 1999 Apr 2;284(5411):99-101. doi: 10.1126/science.284.5411.99.
One of the most striking patterns in biology is the formation of animal aggregations. Classically, aggregation has been viewed as an evolutionarily advantageous state, in which members derive the benefits of protection, mate choice, and centralized information, balanced by the costs of limiting resources. Consisting of individual members, aggregations nevertheless function as an integrated whole, displaying a complex set of behaviors not possible at the level of the individual organism. Complexity theory indicates that large populations of units can self-organize into aggregations that generate pattern, store information, and engage in collective decision-making. This begs the question, are all emergent properties of animal aggregations functional or are some simply pattern? Solutions to this dilemma will necessitate a closer marriage of theoretical and modeling studies linked to empirical work addressing the choices, and trajectories, of individuals constrained by membership in the group.
生物学中最显著的模式之一是动物聚集的形成。传统上，聚集被视为一种具有进化优势的状态，其中成员获得保护、配偶选择和集中信息的益处，同时受到资源限制成本的平衡。聚集由个体成员组成，但仍作为一个整体发挥作用，展现出一系列在个体生物体层面不可能出现的复杂行为。复杂性理论表明，大量的个体单元可以自组织成产生模式、存储信息并进行集体决策的聚集。这就引出了一个问题，动物聚集的所有涌现特性都是功能性的，还是有些仅仅是模式？解决这一困境需要将理论和建模研究与实证工作更紧密地结合起来，这些实证工作要探讨受群体成员身份限制的个体的选择和轨迹。
