Self-Organized Networks of Galleries in the Ant Messor Sancta
نویسندگان
چکیده
In this paper we describe an individual-based model to account for the growth and morphogenesis of networks of galleries in the ant Messor sancta. The activity of the individuals depends only on their local perception of the immediate surroundings. Coordination between ants arises from the modifications of the environment resulting from their activity: the removal of sand pellets and a pheromone trail-laying behaviour. We show that the growth of the networks results from a self-organized process that also allows the collective adaptation of the size and shape of the network to the size of the colony.
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