In complex systems involving multiple scales, function occur- ring at an isolated scale does not necessarily extend to the coupled, multiscale system. It has been thought for some time that under- standing lung function requires taking account of a range of spatial scales [10]. In such systems it is generally insufficient to take a reductionist approach, in which each subsystem is considered only in isolation and the whole is then thought to be the sum of the parts. For example, significant loss of function in asthma may indeed be due in part to negative synergies between impairments which are significantly less severe when taken individually