Division of labour promotes the spread of information in colony emigrations by the ant Temnothorax rugatulus

Gabriele Valentini, Naoki Masuda, Zachary Shaffer, Jake R. Hanson, Takao Sasaki, Sara Imari Walker, Theodore P. Pavlic, Stephen C. Pratt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

The fitness of group-living animals often depends on how well members share information needed for collective decision-making. Theoretical studies have shown that collective choices can emerge in a homogeneous group of individuals following identical rules, but real animals show much evidence for heterogeneity in the degree and nature of their contribution to group decisions. In social insects, for example, the transmission and processing of information is influenced by a well-organized division of labour. Studies that accurately quantify how this behavioural heterogeneity affects the spread of information among group members are still lacking. In this paper, we look at nest choices during colony emigrations of the ant Temnothorax rugatulus and quantify the degree of behavioural heterogeneity of workers. Using clustering methods and network analysis, we identify and characterize four behavioural castes of workers-primary, secondary, passive and wandering-covering distinct roles in the spread of information during an emigration. This detailed characterization of the contribution of each worker can improve models of collective decision-making in this species and promises a deeper understanding of behavioural variation at the colony level.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Number of pages1
JournalProceedings. Biological sciences
Volume287
Issue number1924
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 8 2020

Keywords

  • collective decision making
  • colony emigration
  • division of labour
  • information spread
  • network analysis
  • Temnothorax rugatulus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Environmental Science
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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