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Alma AM, Buteler M, Martinez A, Corley J. Wind disrupts trail pheromone communication in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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2
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Franks NR, Podesta JA, Jarvis EC, Worley A, Sendova-Franks AB. Robotic communication with ants. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:276181. [PMID: 35942527 PMCID: PMC9440752 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We used a robotic gantry to test the hypothesis that tandem running in the ant Temnothorax albipennis can be successful in the absence of trail laying by the leader. Pheromone glands were placed on a pin attached to a gantry. This set-up substituted for the leader of a tandem run. Neither the pin nor the glands touched the substrate and thus the ant following the robot was tracking a plume of airborne pheromones. The robot led individual workers from their current nest to a potential new one. The robotic gantry was programmed to allow for human intervention along its path to permit the following ant to stop and survey its surroundings and then catch up with its mechanical leader. The gantry then automatically tracked the precise route taken by each ant from the new nest back to the old one. Ants led by the robot were significantly more successful at finding their way home than those we carried to the new nest that had no opportunity to learn landmarks. The robot was programmed to take either a straight or a sinusoidal path to the new nest. However, we found no significant difference in the abilities of ants that had been led on such direct or sinuous paths to find their way home. Here, the robot laid no trail but our findings suggest that, under such circumstances, the following ant may lay a trail to substitute for the missing one. Highlighted Article: During tandem running, a leading ant teaches a follower the route to a resource. Key features of real tandem runs were successfully reproduced using a gantry as a robotic leader.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel R Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Jacob A Podesta
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.,Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Edward C Jarvis
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Alan Worley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ana B Sendova-Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Hunt ER, Franks NR, Baddeley RJ. The Bayesian superorganism: externalized memories facilitate distributed sampling. J R Soc Interface 2020; 17:20190848. [PMID: 32546115 PMCID: PMC7328406 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A key challenge for any animal (or sampling technique) is to avoid wasting time by searching for resources (information) in places already found to be unprofitable. In biology, this challenge is particularly strong when the organism is a central place forager—returning to a nest between foraging bouts—because it is destined repeatedly to cover much the same ground. This problem will be particularly acute if many individuals forage from the same central place, as in social insects such as the ants. Foraging (sampling) performance may be greatly enhanced by coordinating movement trajectories such that each ant (walker) visits separate parts of the surrounding (unknown) space. We find experimental evidence for an externalized spatial memory in Temnothorax albipennis ants: chemical markers (either pheromones or cues such as cuticular hydrocarbon footprints) that are used by nest-mates to mark explored space. We show these markers could be used by the ants to scout the space surrounding their nest more efficiently through indirect coordination. We also develop a simple model of this marking behaviour that can be applied in the context of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods (Baddeley et al. 2019 J. R. Soc. Interface16, 20190162 (doi:10.1098/rsif.2019.0162)). This substantially enhances the performance of standard methods like the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm in sampling from sparse probability distributions (such as those confronted by the ants) with only a little additional computational cost. Our Bayesian framework for superorganismal behaviour motivates the evolution of exploratory mechanisms such as trail marking in terms of enhanced collective information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund R Hunt
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.,School of Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, Merchant Venturers Building, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK
| | - Nigel R Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Roland J Baddeley
- School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK
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Yuan W, Ganganath N, Cheng CT, Guo Q, Lau FCM. Temnothorax albipennis migration inspired semi-flocking control for mobile sensor networks. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2019; 29:063113. [PMID: 31266340 DOI: 10.1063/1.5093073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mobile sensor networks (MSNs) are utilized in many sensing applications that require both target seeking and tracking capabilities. Dynamics of mobile agents and the interactions among them introduce new challenges in designing robust cooperative control mechanisms. In this paper, a distributed semiflocking algorithm inspired by Temnothorax albipennis migration model is proposed to address the above issues. Mobile agents under the control of the proposed semiflocking algorithm are capable of detecting targets faster and tracking them with lower energy consumption when compared with existing MSN motion control algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed semiflocking algorithm can operate energy-efficiently on both flat and uneven terrains. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed semiflocking algorithm can provide promising performances in target seeking and tracking applications of MSNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanmai Yuan
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Nuwan Ganganath
- School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Western Australia, Perth 6330, Australia
| | - Chi-Tsun Cheng
- Department of Manufacturing, Materials and Mechatronics, RMIT University, Melbourne 3001, Australia
| | - Qing Guo
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Francis C M Lau
- Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon 999077, Hong Kong
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Ants (Temnothorax nylanderi) adjust tandem running when food source distance exposes them to greater risks. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2453-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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6
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Miler K, Kuszewska K. Secretions of mandibular glands are not involved in the elicitation of rescue behaviour in Formica cinerea ants. INSECTES SOCIAUX 2017; 64:303-305. [PMID: 28479609 PMCID: PMC5397451 DOI: 10.1007/s00040-017-0547-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Certain ants perform rescue behaviour for other ants that require help, and the expression of rescue behaviour is hypothesized to depend on signals ("calls for help") sent by the imperilled individuals. We studied whether the mandibular glands were involved in the elicitation of rescue behaviour in Formica cinerea Mayr ants. In the first experiment, we determined the occurrence and characteristics of rescue behaviour directed towards nest mates with impaired mandibular gland communication. We did not observe any difference in rescue behaviour directed towards individuals who were untreated, treated with paint over the mandibles, or sham-treated with paint over the thorax. In the second experiment, we determined whether rescue behaviour would occur towards dummy ants coated with the contents of the mandibular glands. Compared with the control untreated nest mates, we found that rescue behaviour was not directed towards either the untreated dummy ants or the dummy ants covered with crushed mandibular glands. Our results indicated that the "call for help" signal does not originate from the mandibular glands. Therefore, we propose that gaster-tip glands represent a plausible alternative source of rescue-eliciting pheromone(s) for the F. cinerea ants examined in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Miler
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - K. Kuszewska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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O'Shea-Wheller TA, Sendova-Franks AB, Franks NR. Migration control: a distance compensation strategy in ants. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2016; 103:66. [PMID: 27430995 PMCID: PMC4949290 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Migratory behaviour forms an intrinsic part of the life histories of many organisms but is often a high-risk process. Consequently, varied strategies have evolved to negate such risks, but empirical data relating to their functioning are limited. In this study, we use the model system of the house-hunting ant Temnothorax albipennis to demonstrate a key strategy that can shorten migration exposure times in a group of social insects. Colonies of these ants frequently migrate to new nest sites, and due to the nature of their habitat, the distances over which they do so are variable, leading to fluctuating potential costs dependent on migration parameters. We show that colonies of this species facultatively alter the dynamics of a migration and so compensate for the distance over which a given migration occurs. Specifically, they achieve this by modulating the rate of 'tandem running', in which workers teach each other the route to a new nest site. Using this method, colonies are able to engage a larger number of individuals in the migration process when the distance to be traversed is greater, and furthermore, the system appears to be based on perceived encounter rate at the individual level. This form of decentralised control highlights the adaptive nature of a behaviour of ecological importance, and indicates that the key to its robustness lies in the use of simple rules. Additionally, our results suggest that such coordinated group reactions are central to achieving the high levels of ecological success seen in many eusocial organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A O'Shea-Wheller
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, UK.
| | - Ana B Sendova-Franks
- Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics, UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, UK
| | - Nigel R Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, UK
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O'Shea-Wheller TA, Wilson-Aggarwal DK, Edgley DE, Sendova-Franks AB, Franks NR. A social mechanism facilitates ant colony emigrations over different distances. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:3439-3446. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.145276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural responses enable animals to react rapidly to fluctuating environments. In eusocial organisms, such changes are often enacted at the group level, but may be organised in a decentralised fashion by the actions of individuals. However, the contributions of different group members are rarely homogenous, and there is evidence to suggest that certain ‘keystone’ individuals are important in shaping collective responses. Accordingly, investigations of the dynamics and structuring of behavioural changes at both the group and individual level, are crucial for evaluating the relative influence of different individuals. Here, we examine the composition of tandem running behaviour during colony emigrations in the ant species Temnothorax albipennis. Tandem running is modulated in response to emigration distance, with more runs being conducted when a more distant nest site must be reached. We show that certain individuals are highly active in the tandem running process, attempting significantly more work in the task. Contrary to expectations, however, such individuals are in fact no more successful at conducting tandem runs than their less active nest mates. Instead, it seems that when more tandem runs are required, colonies rely on greater recruitment of workers into the process. The implications of our study are that in some cases, even when apparently ‘key’ individuals exist within a group, their relative contribution to task performance may be far from decisive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A. O'Shea-Wheller
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, England
| | - Deraj K. Wilson-Aggarwal
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, England
| | - Duncan E. Edgley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, England
| | - Ana B. Sendova-Franks
- Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics, UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, England
| | - Nigel R. Franks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, England
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