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Resource redistribution in polydomous ant nest networks: local or global?

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  • Samuel Ellis
  • Daniel W. Franks
  • Elva J.H. Robinson

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Ellis & Daniel W. Franks & Elva J.H. Robinson, 2014. "Resource redistribution in polydomous ant nest networks: local or global?," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 25(5), pages 1183-1191.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:25:y:2014:i:5:p:1183-1191.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/aru108
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Perna, Andrea & Valverde, Sergi & Gautrais, Jacques & Jost, Christian & Solé, Ricard & Kuntz, Pascale & Theraulaz, Guy, 2008. "Topological efficiency in three-dimensional gallery networks of termite nests," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(24), pages 6235-6244.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dominic D R Burns & Jon W Pitchford & Catherine L Parr & Daniel W Franks & Elva J H Robinson & Luke Holman, 2019. "The costs and benefits of decentralization and centralization of ant colonies," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(6), pages 1700-1706.
    2. Yi-Huei Chen & Elva J H Robinson, 2014. "The Relationship between Canopy Cover and Colony Size of the Wood Ant Formica lugubris - Implications for the Thermal Effects on a Keystone Ant Species," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, December.

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