抄録
“Nature.exhibits.not.simply.a.higher.degree.but.an.altogether.different.level.of.complexity”
-.Benoit.B..Mandelbrot,.1924-2010
Interdisciplinary studies of complex phenomena can provide novel insight into ecological processes..I illustrate this through studies of two emergent properties of behavioral organization - fractal behavior.patterns and animal social networks. using the relationship between host behavior and parasite infection.as a working example. First, after introducing the concept of fractals and their use in behavioral ecology, I present a comprehensive investigation of fractal patterns in the behavior of a wild animal (the Japanese macaque) in relation to life history, social and ecological variables. I then further explore the methodology and its application using bio-logged data from penguins. These studies show that animal behavior occurs.in fractal time, supporting the hypotheses that complexity is biologically adaptive and that complexity loss, i.e. greater periodicity or stereotypy, may reflect reduced behavioral fitness. Second, I turn to network models and highlight their importance for understanding social phenomena, focusing on the role of social networks in infectious disease spread. My work with Japanese macaques provides the first evidence that.transmission of nematode parasites is mediated by host social networks. Together, these works draw ideas.and methodologies from fields as diverse as statistical physics, network science, behavioral ecology, parasitology, epidemiology and endocrinology, leading to novel insights into host-parasite dynamics and, I hope, encouraging future interdisciplinary research into the role of behavioral organization in ecological processes.
