Selection and spatial arrangement of building materials during the construction of nest turrets by grass-cutting ants.

ABSTRACT: Ants build complex nest structures by reacting to simple, local stimuli. While underground nests result from the space generated by digging, some leaf- and grass-cutting ants also construct conspicuous aboveground turrets around nest openings. We investigated whether the selection of specific building materials occurs during turret construction in Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants, and asked whether single building decisions at the beginning can modify the final turret architecture. To quantify workers' material selection, the original nest turret was removed and a choice between two artificial building materials, thin and thick sticks, was offered for rebuilding. Workers preferred thick sticks at the very beginning of turret construction, showed varying preferences thereaf

SUBMITTER: Romer D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7657914 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature