title: Exploration adjustment by ant colonies.
abstract: How do animals in groups organize their work? Division of labour, i.e. the process by which individuals within a group choose which tasks to perform, has been extensively studied in social insects. Variability among individuals within a colony seems to underpin both the decision over which tasks to perform and the amount of effort to invest in a task. Studies have focused mainly on discrete tasks, i.e. tasks with a recognizable end. Here, we study the distribution of effort in nest seeking, in the absence of new nest sites. Hence, this task is open-ended and individuals have to decide when to stop searching, even though the task has not been completed. We show that collective search effort declines when colonies inhabit better homes, as a consequence of a reduction in the number of bouts (exploratory events). Furthermore, we show an increase in bout exploration time and a decrease in bout instantaneous speed for colonies inhabiting better homes. The effect of treatment on bout effort is very small; however, we suggest that the organization of work performed within nest searching is achieved both by a process of self-selection of the most hard-working ants and individual effort adjustment.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Avenida Brasília, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7814-4675
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doran
authors.affiliation: AnTracks Computer Vision Systems , Mountain View, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Martin C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1402-6749
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Stumpe
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics, UWE Bristol , Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9300-6986
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sendova-Franks
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Bristol Life Sciences Building , 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: Nigel R
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8139-9604
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Franks
keywords: Temnothorax albipennis; division of labour; exploration; flexibility