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Emergent properties from organisms to ecosystems: towards a realistic approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2005

Jean-François Ponge
Jean-François Ponge
Affiliation:
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 5176, 4 avenue du Petit-Chateau, 91800 Brunoy, France (E-mail: [email protected])
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Abstract

More realistic approaches are needed to understand the complexity of ecological systems. Emergent properties of real systems can be used as a basis for a new, neither reductionist nor holistic, approach. Three systems, termed here BUBBLEs, WAVEs and CRYSTALs, have been identified as exhibiting emergent properties. They are non-hierarchical assemblages of individual components, with amplification and connectedness being two main principles that govern their build-up, maintenance and mutual relationships. Examples from various fields of biological and ecological science are referred to, ranging from individual organisms to landscapes.

Keywords

emergent propertiesecological systemsamplificationconnectedness
Type
Review Article
Information
Biological Reviews , Volume 80 , Issue 3 , August 2005 , pp. 403 - 411
Copyright
2005 Cambridge Philosophical Society

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