Superorganism

As a super-organism is sometimes a thriving community of several, usually referred to many independent individuals of the same type of organism that develop skills or characteristics that go beyond the capabilities of the community individuals.

The term " superorganism " was coined in 1910 by the American biologist William Morton Wheeler, on the basis of his work on ants. Therefore, the classic example of a " superorganism " the ant colony: Each ant is theoretically also individually viable, because it has all the organs that need independent insects to survive. In fact, they have become specialized, so they only in the community - in the state - can survive in the long term: a few are responsible for reproduction, most other obtain food, protect the community from enemies or maintain the brood.

The interaction of these specialized courses of action far exceeds the possibilities that have individual ants: you will therefore also awarded a so-called collective intelligence.

A simpler form of super- organisms eg swarms. This move, especially in a community to provide enemies a smaller attack surface. In a moving swarm, it is much more difficult to spot a prey and catch, as in itself moving individuals.

Previously known vertebrates that live in such a community, and naked mole rats are Zwergmangusten.

Alfred Kroeber transferred the concept of the super-organism for human culture, and Carsten Bresch proposed the name of MONON for the emergent planetary superorganism ago, when " the result of the final, all - comprehensive integration of the evolution of a planet. "