<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Introduction

Eusocial colony-dwelling insects have been dubbed super-organisms because of how intricate and advanced the communication and labor division is in these populations, often functioning more like a collection of cells rather than a group of individuals. They are so successful evolutionarily that although they amount to only 2% of insect species, eusocial insects account for more than half of the biomass of land-dwelling arthropods (Hölldobler&Wilson 2009). The complex hierarchies and social structures of insect colonies would be completely impossible without advanced forms of communication. A social insect colony must be able to explore and harvest resources over a much broader area than a solitary organism might. In order to do this, very sophisticated intra-colony communication strategies on the whereabouts of potential resources and a flexible system of division of labor are essential. Terrain, colony size, and nesting environment all have enormous impact on the forms and precision of intra-species communication. Social insects such as ants and bees have been discovered to use various modalities (scent, sound, and chemical signals) and highly tuned behaviors to communicate resource location and profitability. The incredible variety of strategies is also crucial in regulating the division of labor, which changes in response to the shifting needs of the colony. It is important to understand how honeybees compile and decide on variable data observed during waggle-runs, and which modalities (or sense types) of signals stingless bees and bumblebees follow towards food resources. Carried scent, various pheromone indicators produced by the insects themselves, vibrations and dance behavior all interact in complex ways to formulate language.

In foraging, it is supposed that through the use of previously acquired landmark information and path integration, insects are able to measure and assimilate environmental and personal information that allow them to travel between food source and nest and communicate with recruits with increased precision. Path integration involves an insect keeping accurate track of the distance and terrain it covers upon leaving the colony (Collett&Collett 2000), which provides it with accurate information for the return journey. Bees and ants can remember both landmarks and the distance and direction traveled, allowing them to take direct routes back to their nests without having previously traveled the shortcut (2006). This suggests they possess the ability for problem solving and independent decision-making. This ability is crucial for communicating the whereabouts of the new site to its colony mates.

What is certain is that, even in communication, benefits to senders of a signal must outweigh the costs of the process of communication. The waggle-dance is intended to recruit workers to forage at a specified resource location, but how? When and how do bees transition from one role to another? The piping signal of honeybees, once believed to be a begging signal for a sucrose reward (Michelsen et al. 1985), has been studied thoroughly and is now understood to signal a stop to the honeybee waggle dance (Pastor&Seeley 2005). This piping behavior is often coupled with a distinct ‘tremble dance’ which ends foraging recruitment and initiates a stage of reception. A returning forager unable to find a receiver for the nectar it has gathered will engage in this behavior (Seeley 1992). We will explore how insects transition from role to role. Once it is no longer beneficial for a worker or forager to engage in the costly activity of communication, it will abandon this role for another. Both ant and bee scouts shift from their role of guide to transporter with the aid of the Quorum Rule, which Pratt tells us occurs when they observe enough of their nest mates at the intended resource site (Pratt 2008).

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Mockingbird tales: readings in animal behavior. OpenStax CNX. Jan 12, 2011 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11211/1.5
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Mockingbird tales: readings in animal behavior' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask