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The Slime Mold Dictyostelium as a Model of Self-Organization in Social Systems

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Book cover Self-Organizing Systems

Part of the book series: Life Science Monographs ((LSMO))

Abstract

The phenomenon of aggregation in the cellular slime mold Dictyosteliumhas been studied intensely, both as a model for the self-organization of single cells into multicellular organisms and as a source of information about the extracellular function of the chemical messenger, cyclic AMP. There are two basic classes of models: models of individual cells in discrete sets and field theoretic (continuum) models of aggregation. These two kinds of model are designed to answer somewhat different questions, but any explanation of the nature and form of aggregation requires the field approach. An examination of the forms occurring during slime mold aggregation provides important clues to the dynamics of the process and indicates the importance of symmetry breaking and entrainment in self-organization. Analogies are proposed between slime mold aggregation and human social processes. —The Editor

…what wise hand teacheth them to doe what reason cannot teach us? ruder heads stand amazed at those prodigious pieces of nature, Whales, Elephants, Dromidaries anbd Camels; these I confesse, are the Colossus and Majestick pieces of her hand; but in these narrow Engines there is more curious mathematicks, and the civilitie of these little Citizens more neatly sets forth the wisedome of their Maker.

Sir Thomas Browne (c. 1663), partially quoting from Henry Power, Experimental Philosophy1663 (Winfree, 1980)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

    Alan Garfinkel

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  1. Alan Garfinkel
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Crump Institute for Medical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

    F. Eugene Yates

  2. Department of Kinesiology, Univesity of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Alan Garfinkel

  3. Chemical Electrophysiology Laboratory Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Donald O. Walter

  4. Crump Institute for Medical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Gregory B. Yates

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© 1987 Plenum Press

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Garfinkel, A. (1987). The Slime Mold Dictyostelium as a Model of Self-Organization in Social Systems. In: Yates, F.E., Garfinkel, A., Walter, D.O., Yates, G.B. (eds) Self-Organizing Systems. Life Science Monographs. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0883-6_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0883-6_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8227-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0883-6

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