Self-Organization in Biological Systems

Description

Researchers are finding in certain patterns in nature - phenomena that have fascinated naturalists for centuries - a fertile approach to understanding biological systems: the study of self-organization. This work, 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.

Scott Camazine is the author of "The Naturalist's Year" and "Velvet Mites and Silken Webs". Jean-Louis Deneubourg is Research Fellow at the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research and at the Centre for Non-Linear Phenomena and Complex Systems at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, where he is also Professor of Behavioral Ecology. Nigel R. Franks is Professor of Animal Behavior and Ecology at the University of Bristol and the coauthor of "The Social Evolution of Ants" (Princeton). James Sneyd is Associate Professor of Mathematics at Massey University, New Zealand and the coauthor of "Mathematical Physiology". Guy Theraulaz is Research Fellow at the National Center for Scientific Research in Toulouse, France, and at Paul Sabatier University. Eric Bonabeau is Chief Scientist at EuroBios in Paris, France. Bonabeau and Theraulaz are coauthors of "Swarm Intelligence: From Natural to Artificial Systems".

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2002 Winner of the 2001 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Biological Science, Association of American Publishers "We suspect that the ideas associated with self-organization will play an increasingly prominent role in biology for some time to come... Self-Organization in Biological Systems presents a unique opportunity to watch a group of active researchers apply these intriguing concepts to formerly mystifying feats of social organization in animals. We know of no better guide for those who wish to understand how modeling can be used to dissect the mechanisms of self-organized biological systems."--John W. Pepper and Guy Hoelzer, Science "[An] exceptionally well organized and superbly illustrated volume."--Choice "An important contribution to biology, and to complex systems research more generally, and certainly an enthralling subject."--Carl Anderson, Complexity "This is a fascinating and thought-provoking book... The authors provide an excellent introduction to the main ideas underlying the theory of self-organization and also deal with some of the criticisms leveled at this emerging field... An eminently readable and stimulating book."--Jens Krause and Iain Couzin, The Quarterly Review of Biology "This book is an entertaining and well-written introduction to the basics of self-organization... Given the clear prose and interesting examples, this book should have wide appeal."--Diane Lipscomb, Science Books & Film "Considering the complexity of the subject, this account is surprisingly and pleasantly accessible and readable. It is one of the few biology books that will appeal equally to research workers and undergraduates."--Bulletin of the British Ecological Society "Broad in scope, thorough yet accessible, this book is a self-contained introduction to self-organization and complexity in biology--at the forefront of life sciences research."--Zentralblatt MATH