Tr. Stickland et Nr. Franks, COMPUTER IMAGE-ANALYSIS PROVIDES NEW OBSERVATIONS OF ANT BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences, 257(1350), 1994, pp. 279-286
We investigate computer image analysis to provide a new and objective
measure of the spatial distribution of activity inside ant nests. The
distribution of activity is dependent on the nest architecture, and ch
anges when ants are allowed to construct their own nests. Nests show g
reatest activity around the periphery of the brood pile, usually with
one or few foci. The spatial distribution of behaviour may be importan
t to the social structure of the colony. By analysing the spatial patt
ern around the brood on a finer scale, we show that larger brood items
are located in areas of greater activity. This could support a simple
behavioural algorithm for allocation of brood care.