Modular = parts are relatively independent at a given level. Weak coupling between them. You can change
one without breaking the others:
Link to originalNear-decomposability
A system is nearly decomposable when interactions within subsystems are much stronger than interactions between subsystems.
→
(a) Short-run behavior of each subsystem is approximately independent of other subsystems.
(b) Long-run behavior depends on other subsystems only in an aggregate way.
Hierarchical modularity of nested bow-ties in metabolic networks
Developmental encodings promote the emergence of hierarchical modularity across very different mechanisms