Do ants make direct comparisons?
Do ants make direct comparisons?
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2009.0350
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发表时间：
2009-07-22
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Franks, Nigel R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Robinson, Elva J. H.;Smith, Faith D.;Franks, Nigel R.
许多个人决策都是通过对各种备选方案的直接比较而得出的。然而，在集体决策中，只有某些群体成员可能有机会比较各种选择。迁徙蚁群（Temnothorax albipennis）表现出复杂的巢址选择，选择上级的网站，即使他们是9倍远的替代品。他们是怎么做到的？我们使用带有射频识别标签的蚂蚁来监测个体行为。在这里，我们第一次表明，在决策过程中巢之间的切换可以影响巢的选择，而不需要直接比较的巢。蚂蚁发现了差的巢穴，很可能会换到好的巢穴，而蚂蚁发现了好的巢穴，更有可能忠于那个巢穴。当蚂蚁在两个巢穴之间快速切换时，蚁群会选择好的巢穴。有机会比较巢穴的蚂蚁的转换对巢穴选择的影响不大。我们提出了一种新的集体巢选择机制：个体对巢质量的反应是决定是否承诺或寻求替代方案。以前提出的机制，招募潜伏期和巢比较，可以解释为这个简单的规则的副作用。群体层面的比较和选择可能会出现，而不是个体的直接比较。
Many individual decisions are informed by direct comparison of the alternatives. In collective decisions, however, only certain group members may have the opportunity to compare options. Emigrating ant colonies (Temnothorax albipennis) show sophisticated nest-site choice, selecting superior sites even when they are nine times further away than the alternative. How do they do this? We used radio-frequency identification-tagged ants to monitor individual behaviour. Here we show for the first time that switching between nests during the decision process can influence nest choice without requiring direct comparison of nests. Ants finding the poor nest were likely to switch and find the good nest, whereas ants finding the good nest were more likely to stay committed to that nest. When ants switched quickly between the two nests, colonies chose the good nest. Switching by ants that had the opportunity to compare nests had little effect on nest choice. We suggest a new mechanism of collective nest choice: individuals respond to nest quality by the decision either to commit or to seek alternatives. Previously proposed mechanisms, recruitment latency and nest comparison, can be explained as side effects of this simple rule. Colony-level comparison and choice can emerge, without direct comparison by individuals.