Forming groups makes sense ecologically

October 30, 2007 | article by Ken Thompson in Collaboration Research & Science (54)

The National Science Foundation, October 24, 2007, reports that scientists have found that being social and forming groups is a powerful protection against prey extinction.

Photo Credit: Craig Packer, University of Minnesota

The researchers used data on lions and wildebeest in Africa's Serengeti Plain, data on lion hunting behavior and success and their censuses of wildebeest and other herbivore herds in the same area.

Social grouping by both wildebeest and lions was more strongly correlated with the long-term stability, or sustainability, of the ecosystem than no grouping or grouping of either species alone.

"Traditional ecological models have erroneously predicted that predators would inevitably over-exploit their prey, leading to frequent population crashes. But most highly vulnerable prey species form herds, swarms, schools or flocks, and group living reduces predators' efficiency to the point where co-existence is likely to be the rule rather than the exception."

To read the full article

Thanks to Roland Harwood at NESTA for spotting this post originally on Cooperation Commons.

Tags: ecosystems, lions

Comments (0)| Related (3) | Permalink

Email to a friend | Print this article

Bioteams Books Reviews

Organisations are complex living systems claims leading scientist

August 6, 2005 | article by Ken Thompson in Book Reviews (37)

Fritjof Capra says organisations are not just like living systems - they are living systems! In his latest book, The Hidden Connections, Fritjof Capra, acclaimed physicist and author of the Web of Life and the Tao of Physics, challenges us to go beyond the metaphor and see to what extent human organisations can literally be understood as living systems.

Buy it now from:
Amazon.Com
Amazon.Co.UK

Comments (1) | Permalink

Click here to check all Bioteams book reviews

Related Collaboration Research & Science Articles

Bumblebee waggle dance doubters disarmed

August 10, 2005 | article by Ken Thompson in Collaboration Research & Science (54)

Bees really do point to new foodsources by dancing

The waggle dance is a famous example of the power of one-many broadcast communications in one of natures most successful teams – honeybees!

Comments | Permalink

European Research Clusters for Enterprise Networking

April 13, 2006 | article by Ken Thompson in Collaboration Research & Science (54)

In the 6th European Framework Programme, 23 research and supporting projects have been selected (so far) to support leadership in the field of networked businesses. These projects fall into four main topic areas or "clusters":

Comments | Permalink

Pattern recognition in bees: new research

December 14, 2005 | article by Ken Thompson in Collaboration Research & Science (54)

Bees recognise human faces

The pattern recognition skills of bees are well-known, thought to have evolved to enable them to discriminate between different types of flowers. As social insects, they can also recognise and differentiate between their hivemates. Now a new study shows that these capabilities are so powerful that bees can recognize human faces better than some humans and with one-ten thousandth of the brain cells. The results may help lead to better face-recognition software. To read boingboing synopsis.

Comments | Permalink