A Self-Organising Model of Thermoregulatory Huddling.

ABSTRACT: Endotherms such as rats and mice huddle together to keep warm. The huddle is considered to be an example of a self-organising system, because complex properties of the collective group behaviour are thought to emerge spontaneously through simple interactions between individuals. Groups of rodent pups display two such emergent properties. First, huddling undergoes a 'phase transition', such that pups start to aggregate rapidly as the temperature of the environment falls below a critical temperature. Second, the huddle maintains a constant 'pup flow', where cooler pups at the periphery continually displace warmer pups at the centre. We set out to test whether these complex group behaviours can emerge spontaneously from local interactions between individuals. We designed a model using a minim

SUBMITTER: Glancy J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4559402 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature