Co-evolutionary adaptive mechanisms are not only ubiquitous in nature, but
also beneficial for the functioning of a variety of systems. We here consider
an adaptive network of oscillators with a stochastic, fitness-based, rule of
connectivity, and show that it self-organizes from fragmented and incoherent
states to connected and synchronized ones. The synchronization and percolation
are associated to abrupt transitions, and they are concurrently (and
significantly) enhanced as compared to the non-adaptive case. Finally we
provide evidence that only partial adaptation is sufficient to determine these
enhancements. Our study, therefore, indicates that inclusion of simple adaptive
mechanisms can efficiently describe some emergent features of networked
systems' collective behaviors, and suggests also self-organized ways to control
synchronization and percolation in natural and social systems.Comment: Published in Scientific Report