A Data-Driven Simulation of the Trophallactic Network and Intranidal Food Flow Dissemination in Ants

Simple Summary Social insects are able, through decentralised processes, to make collective decisions in various situations, such as decisions regarding the nest choice or exploitation of food sources. At the intranidal level, a network of trophallaxis leads to the dissemination of food, but there are few empirical and far less theoretical studies investigating the mechanisms and the behavioural rules governing the dynamics and the patterns of food exchange at the individual and colony levels in ant colonies. In our study, we developed and analysed a data-driven model whose results fit the characteristics of the observed networks of trophallactic exchange in colonies of Lasius niger ants (a model species). We tested different assumptions concerning the trophallactic behavioural rules at the individual level. The model outcomes and their comparisons with our experiments offer new insights into the link between these individual behaviours and the structure and efficiency of the resulting network of food exchange at the colony level, as well as on the dynamics of the food flow entering the nest. Through a multidisciplinary approach involving theory and experimentation, we validated the model and, in this paper, discuss the biological relevance of our assumptions. Food sharing can occur in both social and non-social species, but it is crucial in eusocial species, in which only some group members collect food. This food collection and the intranidal (i.e., inside the nest) food distribution through trophallactic (i.e., mouth-to-mouth) exchanges are fundamental in eusocial insects. However, the behavioural rules underlying the regulation and the dynamics of food intake and the resulting networks of exchange are poorly understood. In this study, we provide new insights into the behavioural rules underlying the structure of trophallactic networks and food dissemination dynamics within the colony. We build a simple data-driven model that implements interindividual variability and the division of labour to investigate the processes of food accumulation/dissemination inside the nest, both at the individual and collective levels. We also test the alternative hypotheses (no variability and no division of labour). The division of labour, combined with inter-individual variability, leads to predictions of the food dynamics and exchange networks that run, contrary to the other models. Our results suggest a link between the interindividual heterogeneity of the trophallactic behaviours, the food flow dynamics and the network of trophallactic events. Our results show that a slight level of heterogeneity in the number of trophallactic events is enough to generate the properties of the experimental networks and seems to be crucial for the creation of efficient trophallactic networks. Despite the relative simplicity of the model rules, efficient trophallactic networks may emerge as the networks observed in ants, leading to a better understanding of the evolution of self-organisation in such societies.

Automated summary

This study provides new insights into the behavioral rules underlying the structure of trophallactic networks and food dissemination dynamics within ant colonies. The results show that interindividual heterogeneity and division of labor can influence the dynamics of food flow and the structure of food exchange networks. These findings are important for understanding the evolution of self-organization in social insects.