A real-time feedback system stabilises the regulation of worker reproduction under various colony sizes

Adejumo, S., Kikuchi, T., Tsuji, K., Maruyama-Onda, K., Sugawara, K. and Hayashi, Y. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9207-6322 (2023) A real-time feedback system stabilises the regulation of worker reproduction under various colony sizes. PLoS Computational Biology, 19 (3). e1010840. ISSN 1553-734X doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010840

Abstract/Summary

species do this even without visual information in a dark environment. However, how they achieve this is yet unknown. Based on individual trait expression, an agent-based simulation was used to identify an explicit mechanism for understanding colony size dependent behaviour. Through repeated physical contact between the queen and individual workers, individual colony members monitor the physiological states of others, reflecting such contact information in their physiology and behaviour. Feedback between the sensing of physiological states and the corresponding behaviour patterns leads to self-organisation with colonies shifting according to their size. We showed (1) the queen can exhibit adaptive behaviour patterns for the increase in colony size while density per space remains unchanged, and (2) such physical constraints can underlie the adaptive switching of colony stages from successful patrol behaviour to unsuccessful patrol behaviour, which leads to constant ovary development (production of reproductive castes). The feedback loops embedded in the queen between the perception of internal states of the workers and behavioural patterns can explain the adaptive behaviour as a function of colony size.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/111879
Identification Number/DOI	10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010840
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences > Department of Bio-Engineering
Publisher	Public Library of Science
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