title: Network-based model of the growth of termite nests.
abstract: We present a model for the growth of the transportation network inside nests of the social insect subfamily Termitinae (Isoptera, termitidae). These nests consist of large chambers (nodes) connected by tunnels (edges). The model based on the empirical analysis of the real nest networks combined with pruning (edge removal, either random or weighted by betweenness centrality) and a memory effect (preferential growth from the latest added chambers) successfully predicts emergent nest properties (degree distribution, size of the largest connected component, average path lengths, backbone link ratios, and local graph redundancy). The two pruning alternatives can be associated with different genuses in the subfamily. A sensitivity analysis on the pruning and memory parameters indicates that Termitinae networks favor fast internal transportation over efficient defense strategies against ant predators. Our results provide an example of how complex network organization and efficient network properties can be generated from simple building rules based on local interactions and contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms that come into play for the formation of termite networks and of biological transportation networks in general.
authors.affiliation: IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, Lucca 55100, Italy.
authors.forename: Young-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain - Paris Interdisciplinary Energy Research Institute, Paris Diderot University, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perna
authors.affiliation: Complex Systems Unit, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 12200, FI-00076, Finland.|Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research, School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Santo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fortunato
authors.affiliation: IRBI, UMR CNRS 7261, University of Tours, Faculty of Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Darrouzet
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, CRCA (Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale), Bât 4R3, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.|CNRS, CRCA, Bât 4R3 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Theraulaz
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, CRCA (Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale), Bât 4R3, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.|CNRS, CRCA, Bât 4R3 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jost
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020049:Isoptera; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D015203:Reproducibility of Results