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Synchronized locomotion can improve spatial...
Journal article

Synchronized locomotion can improve spatial accessibility inside ant colonies

Abstract

Synchronization is a conspicuous form of collective behaviour that is of crucial importance in numerous biological systems. Ant colonies from the genera Leptothorax and Temnothorax form small colonies, typically made up of only a few hundred workers, and exhibit a form of synchronized behaviour where workers inside colonies' nests become active together in rhythmic cycles that have a period of approximately 20-200 min. However, it is not currently known if these synchronized rhythms of locomotion confer any functional benefit to colonies. By using a combination of multiple image analysis techniques, we show that inactive Leptothorax ants can act as immobile obstacles to moving ants, and that synchronized activity has the potential to reduce the likelihood that individual ants will encounter regions of immobile obstacles that impede access to portions of the nest. We demonstrate qualitatively similar findings using a computational model of confined active particles with oscillating activity.

Authors

Doering GN; Lee CL; Dalnoki-Veress K

Journal

Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Vol. 290, No. 2011,

Publisher

The Royal Society

Publication Date

November 29, 2023

DOI

10.1098/rspb.2023.1805

ISSN

0962-8452

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