The underlying dynamics of the collective response to external cues in colonies of clonal raider ants

The sophisticated, cognitive-like functions performed by ant colonies emerge out of the coordinated behavior of many individuals. The strong interactions between ants is used to share and process information, synchronize response, and to pool together the brain power of colony members. Recently, the introduction of the clonal raider ant as a model system for the study of social insect biology has opened possibilities to systematically study the principles of ants’ collective information processing in the lab.

I will present a series of behavioral experiments designed to study the response of ant colonies to changes in their thermal environment. Following a thermal perturbation, the response of a colony varies between subtle changes in individual behavior, to a fully blown nest site vacating and emigration. Using custom video analysis software, I analyze the behavioral dynamics of both the colony and of individual ants. I will show that the collective response is synchronized and threshold-governed. Furthermore, I will show that while sub-threshold and supra-threshold responses are stereotypical and individually-dominated, the responses to perturbations around the threshold are complex in nature and dominated by social interactions. I will demonstrate how the properties of these responses can help us understand the underlying dynamics of the ant colony.

I will further discuss how a combination of systematical study of simple collective primitives using computational tools, together with development of modern genetic tools for the clonal raider ant model system can lead to an understanding of complex collective function.