Stigmergic construction and topochemical information shape ant nest architecture

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Anaïs KhuongGuy Theraulaz

Abstract

The nests of social insects are not only impressive because of their sheer complexity but also because they are built from individuals whose work is not centrally coordinated. A key question is how groups of insects coordinate their building actions. Here, we use a combination of experimental and modeling approaches to investigate nest construction in the ant Lasius niger. We quantify the construction dynamics and the 3D structures built by ants. Then, we characterize individual behaviors and the interactions of ants with the structures they build. We show that two main interactions are involved in the coordination of building actions: (i) a stigmergic-based interaction that controls the amplification of depositions at some locations and is attributable to a pheromone added by ants to the building material; and (ii) a template-based interaction in which ants use their body size as a cue to control the height at which they start to build a roof from existing pillars. We then develop a 3D stochastic model based on these individual behaviors to analyze the effect of pheromone presence and strength on construction dynamics. We show that the model can quantitatively reproduce key features of construction dynamics, including a large-...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 30, 2016·Bulletin of Mathematical Biology·Yun Kang, Guy Theraulaz
Nov 24, 2016·PloS One·Mehdi Moussaïd, Kyanoush Seyed Yahosseini
Mar 8, 2017·Scientific Reports·Richard F PearceSean A Rands
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