« Previous Abstract"Ring-fluorinated analog of methyl eugenol: attractiveness to and metabolism in the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)"    Next AbstractUltrasensitive Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds by a Pore Tuning Approach Using Anisotropically Shaped SnO(2) Nanocrystals »

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Title:		Stigmergic construction and topochemical information shape ant nest architecture
Author(s):		Khuong A; Gautrais J; Perna A; Sbai C; Combe M; Kuntz P; Jost C; Theraulaz G;
Address:		"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; CNRS, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, F-31062 Toulouse, France; 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; CNRS, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, F-31062 Toulouse, France; Institut de Mathematiques de Toulouse, Universite Paul Sabatier, Institut National des Sciences Appliquees, Universite Toulouse 1 Capitole, Universite Toulouse II Le Mirail, F-31062 Toulouse, France; Institut de Mathematiques de Toulouse, UMR 5219, CNRS, F-31062 Toulouse, France; Laboratoire d'Informatique de Nantes Atlantique, Polytech'Nantes, 44300 Nantes, France. 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; CNRS, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, F-31062 Toulouse, France; guy.theraulaz@univ-tlse3.fr"
Journal Title:		Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Year:		2016
Volume:		20160119
Issue:		5
Page Number:		1303 - 1308
DOI:		10.1073/pnas.1509829113
ISSN/ISBN:		1091-6490 (Electronic) 0027-8424 (Print) 0027-8424 (Linking)
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-scale pattern of regularly spaced pillars, the formation and merging of caps over the pillars, and the remodeling of built structures. Finally, our model suggests that the lifetime of the pheromone is a highly influential parameter that controls the growth and form of nest architecture"
Keywords:		"Animals Ants/*physiology Models, Theoretical ants collective animal behavior computational modeling nest building stigmergy;"
Notes:		"MedlineKhuong, Anais Gautrais, Jacques Perna, Andrea Sbai, Chaker Combe, Maud Kuntz, Pascale Jost, Christian Theraulaz, Guy eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2016/01/21 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Feb 2; 113(5):1303-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1509829113. Epub 2016 Jan 19"