Ellis, Samuel, Franks, Daniel W orcid.org/0000-0002-4832-7470 and Robinson, Elva J H orcid.org/0000-0003-4914-9327 (2014) Resource redistribution in polydomous ant nest networks:local or global? Behavioral Ecology. pp. 1183-1191. ISSN 1465-7279
Abstract
An important problem facing organisms in a heterogeneous environment is how to redistribute resources to where they are required. This is particularly complex in social insect societies as resources have to be moved both from the environment into the nest and between individuals within the nest. Polydomous ant colonies are split between multiple spatially separated, but socially connected, nests. Whether, and how, resources are redistributed between nests in polydomous colonies is unknown. We analyzed the nest networks of the facultatively polydomous wood ant Formica lugubris. Our results indicate that resource redistribution in polydomous F. lugubris colonies is organized at the local level between neighboring nests and not at the colony level. We found that internest trails connecting nests that differed more in their amount of foraging were stronger than trails between nests with more equal foraging activity. This indicates that resources are being exchanged directly from nests with a foraging excess to nests that require resources. In contrast, we found no significant relationships between nest properties, such as size and amount of foraging, and network measures such as centrality and connectedness. This indicates an absence of a colony-level resource exchange. This is a clear example of a complex behavior emerging as a result of local interactions between parts of a system.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Authors 2014. This content is made available by the publisher under a Creative Commons CC BY Licence |
Keywords: | collective decisions,social insects,ants,wood ants,foraging,social network,trails,network analysis,cooperation |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Computer Science (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 07 Dec 2015 14:44 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2025 00:17 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/aru108 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/beheco/aru108 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:80308 |
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Description: Ellis Wood ant Networks 2014 Behavioral Ecology