Every pattern in nature, whether living or non-living,  is a complex dynamic system that is composed of a network of ordered processes , structural substrates that contains those processes , and relationships with the pattern's environment . A pattern that we might choose to admire and study is the manifestation of this underlying order composed of function, form, and context.

When sensing or observing a pattern, one is sometimes compelled to ask the question: What mechanism drives the pattern's underlying system toward a given form and function within it's context? Here, we explore this question.

One general approach is to consider whether a pattern is formed by way of internal dynamics, or from external processes, or both. An example of an internal process is the genetics of reproduction. An external process might be environmental influences on the reproductive process (using alcohol or smoking by the mother) -- the effect of epigenetics.

Further discussion of this subject of pattern formation comes partly from authors Scott Camazine in his book "Self Organization in Biological Systems"  and Kevin Kelly in his book, "Out Of Control". Ideas from these authors is paraphrased throughout this web page.

Answers to the question about pattern forming mechanisms is very complex. Indeed there appear to be a great many pattern forming processes  both discovered and undiscovered. Since our knowledge is limited, it is wiser to address the question by talking about a range of pattern forming processes. This range is bounded by two extremes.

Kevin Kelly says  "At one extreme, one can build a system by constructing a long string of sequential operations -- much like a factory assembly line where each event is somehow related to a fixed unit of time." Sound or ocean waves are approximate examples of sequential operations and their resulting wave patterns 

Scott Camazine elaborates on the sequential or linear approach to pattern formation by noting five pattern making activities that support the sequential method. They are:

1.  A well informed leader who directs himself or a group. Any activity that promotes synchronization (such as a rowing crew) benefits from a leader.
2. Using a blueprint. A pictorial set of physical instructions or perhaps ingrained "instinct" that shows what is to be built.
3. A recipe is a set of sequential instructions. Camazine notes that recipes specify how something is to be built.
4. Templates are a full sized guide or mold specifying the final pattern.
5. Stigmergy is guidance based on response to stimuli from the product of work previously accomplished.

An example of sequential pattern formation using a well informed leader is the queuing of ducklings behind their mother. It is thought that it is the "follow the leader" process that imprints the migratory route into the behavior pattern of the young ducks. From birth, they imprint to their mother and follow her over the route the first time.  "Fly Away Home" is a wonderful movie that portrays this process.

A blueprint example is a musical score (or a bird's song) that specifies tonal and temporal relationships. A spider creates its sticky orb following a genetically determined recipe for laying out the various radii and spirals of the web. A weaver bird uses its own body as a template as it builds the hemispherical egg chamber of its nest. Worker termites are thought to practice stigmergy. In the presence of certain configurations of a mound's construction the worker is stimulated to a high degree of activity, and will add building material to specific parts of the construction.

More than one sequential activity may be simultaneously employed. A blueprint can be used by a leader to create a certain pattern.

At the opposite extreme of pattern forming processes is the emergent approach to pattern formation. Emergence of a complex system or a super organism with a unique behavior results from a network of many individuals each acting independently but following a fixed set of behavior rules. Instead of being tied to a master clock, leader, or template, each individual acts independently and behaves by applying an inbred rule set as necessary. For example, each individual in a fish school possesses a fixed  set of swimming rules that are applied as the sensory signals from the eyes and the lateral line are interpreted. The basic rule is to maintain a certain distance from every neighbor or obstacle or predator. The result is a systematic emergent schooling behavior. The collective  action results in an organism with a behavior that is greater than the sum of its parts. No amount of mathematics can reproduce this phenomena. Only the actual playing out of the rule-based behavior of each individual will produce a picture of the school. There is no leader or chain of command. Emergence is the result of "self-organization". Self organization is the ability of a system or a group to achieve an organized pattern of existence by itself without any apparent leadership or outside force.

Camazine describes  this so-called  self-organization as "diverse pattern formation processes in the physical and biological world, from sand grains assembling into rippled dunes to cells combining to create highly structured tissues to individual insects working to create sophisticated societies. What these diverse systems hold in common is the proximate means by which they acquire order and structure. In self-organizing systems, pattern at the global level emerges solely from interactions among lower-level components. Remarkably, even very complex structures result from the iteration of surprisingly simple behaviors performed by individuals relying on only local information."

Kelly lists four distinct characteristics of emergent systems:

• The absence of imposed centralized control
• The autonomous nature of subunits
• The high connectivity between the subunits
• The webby nonlinear causality of peers influencing peers.

We have described pattern formation as a spectrum of possiblities -- acting as a single process or in concert with other processes. What all these pattern formation dynamics have in common is form, function, and context . They are all contained within a structure -- an architecture. They are all dynamic processes contained within their structure. And they all work within the context of their environment.

This document is a draft of work in progress. Please post your comments, thoughts, and suggestions:

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