SOCIAL INSECT COLONIES AS COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS

Social insect societies are complex adaptive systems that self-organiz e within a set of constraints. Al though it is important to acknowledg e that global order in social insects can arise as a result of interna l interactions among insects, it is equally important to include exter nal factors and constraints in the picture, especially as the colony a nd its environment may influence each other through interactionsamong internal and external factors. The scope of this remark goes beyond so cial insects and applies to a wide range of biological systems, includ ing ecosystems.