Self-Organisation and Evolution of Biological and Social Systems

This book contains studies of social behaviour ranging from single-celled organisms to humans, and shows recent progress in these fields.

Self-organisation of social systems can be observed at all levels of biological complexity, from cells to organisms and communities. Although individuals are governed by simple rules, their interactions with each other and their environment leads to complex patterns. Self-Organisation and Evolution of Social Systems investigates a broad spectrum of social systems ranging from those of simple single-celled organisms to those of very complex ones, such as humans. It examines groups of all sizes, from small as in certain species of primates, to very large as in some species of fish and social insects. This book deals with numerous aspects of their social organisation, including group formation, task-division, foraging, dominance interactions, infant protection, language and voting. It is recommended reading for all academic researchers and professionals interested in this fascinating field.

Preface; Introduction; 1. From unicellular to multicellular organisation: the development of the social amoebae Dicyostelium discoideum C. Weijer; 2. Selection and self-organisation of collective decision in social insects: trail, network and migration J. L. Deneubourg; 3. The interplay of intracolonial genotype variance and self-organisation of dominance hierarchies in honeybees Crewe Moritz; 4. Traffic rules of fish schools: a review of agent-based approaches J. K. Parrish and S. V. Viscido; 5. A process-orientated approach to the social behaviour of primates C. K. Hemelrijk; 6. Order and noise in primate societies B. Thierry; 7. Self-organisation in language B. de Boer; 8. Minority opinion spreading in democratic random debate S. Galam; 9. Natural selection and complex systems: a complex interaction D. S. Wilson; 10. Interlocking of self-organisation and evolution P. Hogeweg.

Self-organisation of social behaviour is a widespread phenomenon in animals and humans. It is observed in numerous aspects of social behaviour, such as group formation, task-division, dominance interactions and voting. This 2005 book contains studies of social behaviour ranging from single-celled organisms to humans, and shows recent progress in these fields.