The Ecology of Collective Behavior

Similar patterns of interaction,such as network motifs and feedback loops,are used in many natural collective processes,probably because they have evolved independently under similar pressures. here i consider how three environmental constraints may shape the evolution of collective behavior: the patchiness of resources,the operating costs of maintaining the interaction network that produces collective behavior,and the threat of rupture of the network. the ants are a large and successful taxon that have evolved in very diverse environments. examples from ants provide a starting point for examining more generally the fit between the particular pattern of interaction that regulates activity,and the environment in which it functions. © 2014 deborah m.