Integral feedback control is at the core of task allocation and resilience of insect societies.

ABSTRACT: Homeostatic self-regulation is a fundamental aspect of open dissipative systems. Integral feedback has been found to be important for homeostatic control on both the cellular and molecular levels of biological organization and in engineered systems. Analyzing the task allocation mechanisms of three insect societies, we identified a model of integral control residing at colony level. We characterized a general functional core mechanism, called the "common stomach," where a crucial shared substance for colony function self-regulates its own quantity via reallocating the colony's workforce, which collects and uses this substance. The central component in a redundant feedback network is the saturation level of this substance in the colony. An interaction network of positive and negative feedba

SUBMITTER: Schmickl T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6310805 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature