Time-ordered networks reveal limitations to information flow in ant colonies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An important function of many complex networks is to inhibit or promote the transmission of disease, resources, or information between individuals. However, little is known about how the temporal dynamics of individual-level interactions affect these networks and constrain their function. Ant colonies are a model comparative system for understanding general principles linking individual-level interactions to network-level functions because interactions among individuals enable integration of multiple sources of information to collectively make decisions, and allocate tasks and resources.

Methodology/findings

Here we show how the temporal and spatial dynamics of such individual interactions provide upper bounds to rates of colony-level information flow in the ant T

SUBMITTER: Blonder B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3098866 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature