UNDERCROWDING
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3681 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
The situation where an insufficient density of population undermines social stability and even possibly survival
A minimum number of individuals in a given environment seems to be necessary for triggering social behavior . In a recent paper A. BARNET notes for example that “flamingos or penguins won't breed unless they are surrounded by other copulating pairs”(2001, p. 38) Undercrowding seems to induce the following negative effects on societies:
- possible loss of genetic and behavioral variety (In societies, also loss of cultural and semantic variety)
- loss of herd protection effects
- lessening of transgenerational learning
- lack of communication and loss of information
- danger of destructive episodes due to reduced adaptability (the Fuegians extinguished by a succession of negative factors as epidemics, alcoholism, etc)
A comparison with the situation of overcrowding shows that any population must remain in a defined dynamic stability relation with its probably variable environment . Such stability corresponds to also defined levels of maximum and minimum density , within a sustainable range of fluctuations
Undercrowding effects were first studied by W. ALLEE in the U.S.(1951) and are now known as “Allee effects”