TOPOTAXIS
Charles François (2004). TOPOTAXIS, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3591.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3591 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences, Methodology or model |
The tendency of free elements of the same kind to form clusters in some limited region of the available space.
Topotaxis seems to result generally of a growing excess of population density in a constrained area.
A classical example is the clustering of Dictyostelium discoideum when food becomes insufficient for the increasing population. Another is the gregarization of solitary locusts, in similar conditions.
Topotaxis seems however to be a typical systemic concept, as a spontaneous process leading to socialization and the genesis of more complex systems. The notion could be useful for the study of some agglutination phenomena in human societies, as for ex. the formation of megalopolises.