CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMAL AGGREGATIONS 



35 



a series of small quantitatively, rather than qualitatively, different 

 degrees of integration, up to the closely organized societies of ants 

 and termites and the more extensive group societies of man. 



Simplified Schematic Aerangement of Types of Associations 



AND Societies 



(Modified from Wheeler, 1930) 



1. Passively collected aggregations or [ Homotypic 

 agglomerations, e.g., wind collected 



2. Actively collected aggregations or ' 

 agglomerations, e.g., tropistically 

 collected 



3. Food chain associations 



a) Predatory 



b) Parasitic 



4. Commensal associations 



5. Mimetic associations 



6. Symbiotic or mutualistic associa- 

 tions 



7. Communities (biocoenoses) 



A. Associations: 



Loosely integrated, 

 relatively unstable, 

 and temporary sys- 

 tems primarily de- 

 pendent on the reac- 

 tions of individuals 

 to environmental 

 stimuli 



_ Heterotypic 



Heterotypic 



B. Societies: 



More closely inte 

 grated, more sta 

 ble, and permanent 

 systems primarily 

 dependent on reac- 

 tions of individuals 

 to each other 



I. Persons (multicellular) 



Organically interconnected colonial ^ 

 organisms forming closed societies 

 chiefly nutritive in function, e.g., 

 sponges, colonial hydroids 



Mainly reproductive societies closed, 

 e.g., subsocial insects and social in- 

 sects such as bees, ants, and termites 



Mainly protective societies, closed 

 and open, e.g., flocks, herds, and 

 schools 



Homotypic 



5. Anthropoid societies; group societies 



Homotypic or hetero- 

 typic; i.e., may be 

 pure or mixed colo- 

 nies of dominant 

 animals; dominants 

 may be accompanied 

 by social parasites or 

 by various other 

 sorts of associates 



The outlines of such a scheme of classification can be sketched. 

 In doing so, its limitations in the present state of knowledge become 

 the more evident. 



Alpha. Individuals organically connected. 



I." Individuals with true organic union, as in the hydroid Ohelia. 



II. Individuals only superficially connected, as in the mollusks 



