Abstract
Entrainment of individuals with their fluctuating environment is, in very general terms, achieved by resetting the internal clock by some Zeitgeber. When the same signal acts on several individuals in a similar manner, synchronisation is the inevitable consequence. Synchronisation may be the result of strong external signals from the environment, but it may also be caused by the interactions among individuals. The latter case of social synchronisation is of particular theoretical interest because such a system may show peculiarities comparable to the dynamics of two coupled pendulum clocks with self-organising features.
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© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Halle, S., Stenseth, N.C. (2000). Theoretical Considerations — Introduction. In: Halle, S., Stenseth, N.C. (eds) Activity Patterns in Small Mammals. Ecological Studies, vol 141. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18264-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18264-8_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-62128-4
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