The Complex Adaptive System of Rural Tourism: Comparison
Please note this is a comparison between Version 2 by Conner Chen and Version 1 by Li Lv.

复杂自适应系统Complex adaptive systems (CAS)理论是约翰·霍兰德于1994年提出的,主要研究系统复杂性和系统出现的机理。该理论的核心是“适应性产生复杂性”,微观主体之间的适应性相互作用可以产生宏观的复杂性现象。该理论认为,该系统是由相互作用和适应性强的Agent组成的动态网络。适应剂能够“学习”和“生长”,以获得最大的共生效益。Agent在与外部环境的信息、能量和物质相互作用的过程中,可以调整行为规则以适应外部环境的变化和其他Agent的需求。它们移动或聚集,以占据一个更好的生态位,并获得最大的利益共生。系统的整体分化、聚集和重构是在主体与环境相互作用的基础上逐步推导出来的。随着动态适应性的发展,整个系统从混沌向有序,从简单到复杂。 theory was proposed by John Holland in 1994 and mainly studies the mechanisms of a system’s complexity and system emergence. The core of the theory is “adaptability produces complexity”, and the adaptive interaction of microscopic agents can produce macroscopic complexity phenomena. The theory believes that the system is a dynamic network composed of interacting and adaptable agents. Adaptive agents are capable of “learning” and “growing” in order to obtain the maximum symbiotic benefits. Agents can adjust behavior rules to meet changes in the external environment and other agents’ requirements in the process of interacting with the information, energy, and matter of the external environment. They move or aggregate to occupy a better niche and obtain the greatest benefits in symbiosis. The overall differentiation, aggregation, and reconstruction of the system are gradually derived on the basis of the interactions between the agents and the environment. Along with the dynamic adaptability process, the whole system leaps from chaos to order and from simple to complex .

  • complex adaptive system (CAS)
  • rural tourism system

1.复杂自适应系统理论综述 Overview of Complex Adaptive Systems Theory

复杂自适应系统Complex adaptive systems (CAS)理论是约翰·霍兰德于1994年提出的,主要研究系统复杂性和系统出现的机理。该理论的核心是“适应性产生复杂性”,微观主体之间的适应性相互作用可以产生宏观的复杂性现象。 theory was proposed by John Holland in 1994 and mainly studies the mechanisms of a system’s complexity and system emergence. The core of the theory is “adaptability produces complexity”, and the adaptive interaction of microscopic agents can produce macroscopic complexity phenomena [33]。该理论认为,该系统是由相互作用和适应性强的. The theory believes that the system is a dynamic network composed of interacting and adaptable agents. Agent组成的动态网络。适应剂能够“学习”和“生长”,以获得最大的共生效益。daptive agents are capable of “learning” and “growing” in order to obtain the maximum symbiotic benefits [33]. Agent在与外部环境的信息、能量和物质相互作用的过程中,可以调整行为规则以适应外部环境的变化和其他Agent的需求。它们移动或聚集以占据更好的生态位,并在共生中获得最大利益。s can adjust behavior rules to meet changes in the external environment and other agents’ requirements in the process of interacting with the information, energy, and matter of the external environment. They move or aggregate to occupy a better niche and obtain the greatest benefits in symbiosis [33]。系统的整体分化、聚集和重构是在主体与环境相互作用的基础上逐步形成的。. The overall differentiation, aggregation, and reconstruction of the system are gradually derived on the basis of the interactions between the agents and the environment [32]。随着动态适应性的发展,整个系统从混沌到有序,从简单到复杂。. Along with the dynamic adaptability process, the whole system leaps from chaos to order and from simple to complex [47].
The CAS理论提出了两个模型:个体进化的基本行为模型和整体进化的回声模型。从微观上看,适应主体为了满足自身的生存和发展,在与其他主体和外部环境的互动中遵循“如果-然后”的内部策略模型,并不断学习和积累经验,以改变自己的适应行为。多智能体在“外部环境-主体认知-适应性调整”过程中产生行为反应和调整。不同的Agent学习或创新能力水平会导致同一类型Agent行为效果的差异 theory puts forward two models: the basic behavior model of individual evolution and the echo model of overall evolution. Microscopically, to satisfy their own survival and development, adaptive agents follow the internal strategy model of “if–then” in their interaction with other agents and the external environment, and they constantly learn and accumulate experience to modify their own adaptive behavior. Multiple agents produce behavioral responses and adjustments with the process of “external environment-agents cognition-adaptive adjustment”. Different levels of agents’ learning or innovation ability lead to differences in the behavioral effects of the same type of agent (Figure 1).
Figure 1.自适应Agent的行为模型。
 Behavioral model of adaptive agents.
从宏观上讲,构建了Macroscopically, the echo model of 代理-上下文-代理”的回声模型,将个体进化与系统演化联系起来。Echo是一种基于Agent的微观仿真模型,在该模型中,“代理”在位于“世界”的“站点”内进行交互。世界的紧急行为是个体主体相互作用的结果。世界为居住在特定地点的代理提供了一个空间和时间上下文agents-context-agents” is constructed to link individual evolution and system evolution. An echo is an agent-based, microsimulation model in which “agents” interact within a “site” located in a “world”. The emergent behavior of the world is due to the interactions of the individual agents. The world provides a spatial and temporal context for agents that reside at specific sites [24]。资源是系统演化的基础,位置是主体活动的空间场所。世界由几个地点组成,多个主体在不同的空间位置上有着丰富的经验和资源,构成个体适应性的基础。. Resources are the basis of system evolution, and location is the spatial place of the subject’s activities. The world consists of several sites, and multiple agents are in different spatial sites that have a fountain with various experiences and resources, which constitute the basis of individual adaptability [33]。从站点或其他代理获取资源的能力允许代理进行复制。由于环境在不断变化,新的代理类型也会发生变化;因此,代理之间的交换模式也会发生变化。. The ability to acquire resources from either site or other agents allows an agent to reproduce. Since the environment is continuously changing, new agent types evolve; thus, the patterns of exchange between agents will also evolve [24].
AThere are complex and diverse nonlinear interactions between agents and the environment, which affect the change of external environmental state and feedback to the behavioral response mode of agents, further promoting the process of the aggregent与环境之间存在着复杂多样的非线性相互作用,影响了外部环境状态的变化和对Agent行为反应模式的反馈,进一步促进了空间集群规模的聚集、扩散和重构过程,并逐步提升了系统的整体演化。ation, diffusion, and reconstruction of the scale of spatial clusters and upgrading the overall evolution of the system layer by layer [33]。系统内部结构的演化和循环促进了系统的出现。宏系统生成新的元素、结构和函数,并从一个复杂的条件演化为另一个. The internal structure of systems evolves, and cycles promote the emergence of the system. The macro system generates new elements, structures, and functions and evolves from one complex condition to another [32]。这是一个. It is a 自下而上”的过程,当相互作用的个人的集体行为导致一个系统或系统的一部分适应并创造紧急秩序时bottom-up” process arising when the collective behavior of interacting individuals results in a system or part of a system that adapts and creates an emergent order [34].

2. Composition and Characteristics of the Rural Tourism Complex Adaptation System

Holland characterizes seven basic elements of CAS. These seven characteristics consist of four properties—aggregation, nonlinearity, diversity, and flows, and three mechanisms—tagging, internal models, and building blocks [33] (Table 1). The rural tourism system is an open and complex giant system with chaotic characteristics and multiple subsystems. It is characterized by subjectivity, adaptability, self-organization, and dynamic balance [17,31], which agrees with the basic idea of the CAS theory [33] (Table 1).
Table 1. Compatibility analysis between rural tourism systems and main properties of the CAS theory.
Element Characteristic Interpretation Compatibility Interpretation of Rural Tourism System
Aggregation Aggregation of agents can form meta-agents, and meta-agents are reaggregated to form meta-meta-agents. The hierarchical organization of CAS is formed, producing complex phenomena. Rural agents are aggregated to different scales, types, and levels of rural meta-agents such as tourism spots, tourism facilities, and tourism communities, which constitute the rural tourism system as subsystems.
Tagging Different hierarchical systems have multiple tags, which can not only promote the “adhesion” of agents but also be used for the “reproduction” of agents. Tourism image, core attractions, major projects, key policies, etc., can all constitute tags, which promote the derivation, differentiation, and gathering of villagers, citizens, enterprises, and tourists.
Flow Many nodes and connectors form a resource flow network, and the cycle of resources has a multiplier effect. Rural tourism destination system agents are connected with each other and the external environment through passenger flows, information flows, material flows, and capital flows.
Nonlinearity The interaction between agents and environment is nonlinear and promotes the complex transition of the system. The rural system evolutionary process shows complex evolutionary characteristics such as fluctuation, mutation, and emergence, and new system agents, elements, structural functions, and spatial patterns are apparent.
Diversity Each new adaptation of agents opens up a new ecological niche, promotes further interaction, and thus brings about the emergence of diversified systems. The continuous succession of external environment, tourism demand, tourism supply, and participants promote the formation of rural tourism with different modes, scales, and functions.
Internal

model
Based on experience and learning ability, the agents bitterly adapt to the perpetual novelty environment and transform the adaptation behaviors into an internal model to guide the next adaptation. There are tacit and overt models. In rural tourism, the tacit model is the choice of villagers’ livelihood strategy, enterprise management strategy, government planning, and control, while the overt model is the tourism product type and the spatial pattern of rural tourism.
Building blocks Blocks are coupled according to spatial location and interactive action to build the hierarchy and complexity of the system. The higher-level rules are derived from the lower-level building blocks. Rural tourism subsystems and elements constitute the building blocks of high-hierarchy systems. The formation and development, combination and dissolution, and competition and cooperation of rural tourism “blocks” reflect the evolutionary process of rural tourism.
According to the CAS theory, the rural tourism destination system is divided into tourist attractions, tourist facilities, rural tourism community multiagent, and external environment systems (Figure 2). Under the co-interaction of the self-organization of multiple agents and other organizations in the external environment, the five subsystems are interrelated, and through the exchange of material, energy, and information, an orderly rise in the development level of the rural tourism system and the dynamic optimization of the spatial agglomeration pattern are realized.
Figure 2. Composition of a complex adaptation system in a rural tourism destination.
The core attraction or the tourism image tags guides the government, enterprises, villagers, tourists, and other agents to execute the “internal model” according to their own “resource pool” in order to generate adaptive behavior to match other adaptive agents and the external environment, etc.; this promotes the generation, development, and spatial agglomeration of “building blocks” such as diversified rural tourism attractions, tourism facilities, and multiple agents. There is a “nonlinear” development in the aggregation process of agents and the transmission process of element flows, and the “nonlinear” interaction process promotes the emergence of rural tourism product types, spatial states, and functional structures [48] (Table 1).

3. Complex Adaptive Mechanism of Evolution of Rural Tourism

On the microlevel, multiple agents detect environmental conditions and engage in adaptive behaviors. Under the disturbance of the natural geographical environment, socioeconomic environment, market demand environment, and other unexpected events, villagers, government, enterprises, tourists, and other agents actively adapt to the environment and show different behavioral patterns (Figure 3). At the same time, to coexist in a better system, agents can correct the behavioral pattern according to the behavioral effect [46]. In the process of adaptation, agents interact with each other and gather in rural areas with beautiful environments, perfect facilities, and prominent locations, forming a number of rural tourism spatial clusters [28].
Figure 3. Adaptive behavior and echo model of multiple agents in a rural tourism destination system.
On the macro level, the adaptive behavior of the agent promotes the complex evolution of the system. First, when the external environment changes, diversified adaptation strategies and degrees are shown by agents with differences in statistical characteristics, learning ability, and resources [36], which influence the direction and speed of the evolution of the rural tourism system. Second, there are nonlinear interactions between agents and the environment. The evolution of the rural tourism destination system is characterized by “short-term oscillation”, “long-term cycle”, “fluctuation and bifurcation”, and other development processes [49]. Finally, the spatial agglomeration of agents has different levels such as the scenic area scale, village scale, town scale, and county scale. The spatial agglomeration of agents at a lower level constitutes a spatial agglomeration at a higher level as “building blocks”. The higher levels of rural tourism development and spatial pattern are derived from the low-level subsystems. When the individual behavior strategy changes dynamically, it will affect the overall structure and function of the rural tourism system step by step [33]. The diversity, nonlinearity, and hierarchy of the agents’ response processes promote the complex evolution of the rural tourism destination system. New elements, functional structures, development levels, and spatial patterns emerge [50], which are fed back to the external environment, and the agents further revise the adaptation strategy and behavioral response, thus promoting the formation of more complex agent behaviors (Figure 3).
The cyclic process of “environmental state-agent adaptation-system evolution-environmental feedback” promotes the spiral development of rural tourism destination systems. As the level of the national economy and transportation improves, the element flow scale expands, multiple agents interact frequently, and the number, scale, and quality of rural tourism increase. More agents participate in the development of the rural tourism industry, which drives the orderly development of the rural tourism destination system and the dynamic optimization of spatial patterns.

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