Can ecosystems learn without brains?

Researchers simulated 220,000 variations of predator-prey systems and found that simple population dynamics can exhibit classic learning signatures: habituation (reduced response to repeated stimuli), sensitization (heightened response), and discrete number learning. Strikingly, 90% of parameter combinations showed one learning pattern while its opposite was nearly absent, suggesting learning emerges from interaction strength rather than biological hardware. This implies ecosystems and any system governed by similar equations have inherent capacity for learning without memory structures or neurons.