title: The formation of spatial patterns in social insects: from simple behaviours to complex structures.
abstract: Many of the collective activities performed by social insects result in the formation of complex spatio-temporal patterns. Without centralized control, workers are able to work together and collectively tackle tasks far beyond the abilities of any one individual. The resulting patterns produced by a colony are not explicitly coded at the individual level, but rather emerge from nonlinear interactions between individuals or between individuals and their environment. We present a few selected examples to illustrate some of the basic mechanisms used by social insects, such as templates, stigmergy and self-organization. These mechanisms can be used in combination to organize pattern formation at the colony level.
authors.affiliation: CNR-FRE 2382, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Theraulaz
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gautrais
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Camazine
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Deneubourg
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D012919:Social Behavior; D013045:Species Specificity