| Title: | When social behaviour is moulded in clay: on growth and form of social insect nests |
| Address: | "Unite d'Ecologie Sociale, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Campus de la Plaine, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium. Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK. Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Integrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite Paul Sabatier (UPS), F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France guy.theraulaz@univ-tlse3.fr" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1477-9145 (Electronic) 0022-0949 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The nests built by social insects are among the most complex structures produced by animal groups. They reveal the social behaviour of a colony and as such they potentially allow comparative studies. However, for a long time, research on nest architecture was hindered by the lack of technical tools allowing the visualisation of their complex 3D structures and the quantification of their properties. Several techniques, developed over the years, now make it possible to study the organisation of these nests and how they are built. Here, we review present knowledge of the mechanisms of nest construction, and how nest structure affects the behaviour of individual insects and the organisation of activities within a colony" |
| Keywords: | "Aluminum Silicates/chemistry Animal Communication Animals Ants/*physiology Clay Isoptera/*physiology *Nesting Behavior Pheromones/analysis/metabolism Social Behavior Ants, Termites Collective animal behaviour Nest architecture Nest building Self-organisat;" |
| Notes: | "MedlinePerna, Andrea Theraulaz, Guy eng Review England 2017/01/07 J Exp Biol. 2017 Jan 1; 220(Pt 1):83-91. doi: 10.1242/jeb.143347" |
