Complex adaptive systems are special cases of complex systems,often defined as a 'complex macroscopic collection' of relatively'similar and partially connected micro-structures' – formed in order toadapt to the changing environment, and increase its survivability as a macro-structure.
They are
complex in that they are
dynamic networks of interactions, and their relationships are not aggregations of the individual static entities. They are
adaptive; in that the individual and
collective behavior mutate and
self-organize corresponding to the change-initiating micro-event or collection of events.