ACTIVE RANDOM WALKERS SIMULATE TRUNK TRAIL FORMATION BY ANTS

A simple model for interactive structure formation is studied to simul ate the trail formation by ants based on local chemical communication. In our model, active random walkers, which do not have the ability of visual navigation or storage of information, first have to discover d ifferent distributions of food sources and then have to link these sou rces to a central place by forming a trail, using no other guidance th an the chemical markings produced by themselves. The simulations show the spontaneous emergence of a collective trail system due to self-org anization, which is both stable and flexible, to include newly discove red sources. The typical dendritic foraging patterns of desert ants, r eported by Holldobler and Moglich (Insectes Sociaux, 1980, 27(3), pp. 237-264) are reproduced by the simulations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.