Ant encounters
Subtitle: interaction networks and colony behavior
By: Deborah M. Gordon
Series: Primers in complex systems; Primers in complex systems
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 167
ISBN-13: 9780691138794
Description: "How do ant colonies get anything done, when no one is in charge? An ant colony operates without a central control or hierarchy, and no ant directs another. Instead, ants decide what to do based on the rate, rhythm, and pattern of individual encounters and interactions - resulting in a dynamic network that coordinates the functions of the colony, Ant Encounters provides a revealing and accessible look into ant behavior from this complex systems perspective." "Focusing on the moment-to-moment behavior of ant colonies, Deborah Gordon investigates the role of interaction networks in regulating colony behavior and relations among ant colonies. She shows how ant behavior within and between colonies arises from local interactions of individuals, and how interaction networks develop as a colony grows older and larger. The more rapidly ants react to their encounters, the more sensitivity the entire colony responds to changing conditions. Gordon explores whether such reactive networks help a colony to survive and reproduce, how natural selection shapes colony networks, and how these structures compare to other analogous complex systems." "Ant Encounters sheds light on the organizational behavior, ecology, and evolution of these diverse and ubiquitous social insects."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Ant colony as a complex system; title: Colony organization; title: Interaction networks; title: Colony size; title: Relations with neighbors; title: Evolution; title: Generic model of ant colony organization.