Modelling the role of trail pheromone in the collective construction of termite royal chambers
Modelling the role of trail pheromone in the collective construction of termite royal chambers
Experiments with worker termites constructing a royal chamber around a termite queen in species Macrotermes subhyalinus (Rambur) have shown that both trail and cement pheromones are involved and necessary for the successful formation of pillars during the building process. However, earlier models of the construction were able to demonstrate stigmergic pillar formation with cement pheromone alone. We present results from a new three-dimensional agent-based model, developed to investigate the role of trail pheromone in the construction process. The model is able to demonstrate how, if the properties of the cement pheromone are altered so that its attractive influence is more localised than in earlier models, termites are unable to produce significant pillar formation. The model shows how the addition of trail deposition and following effectively increases the range of the stigmergic effect so that pillar formation is restored. The presence of trail pheromone also results in pillars which are narrower than those produced by cement pheromone alone, and which show more pronounced lateral extensions. Additionally the paths that the termites take from the termite queen to building sites become more directed with time. These features are in keeping with observation and have not been previously modelled.
43-50
Hill, Nicholas
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Bullock, Seth
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Taylor, Tim
2add4572-13c1-4b09-a773-aeacf997e7e8
Timmis, Jon
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Hill, Nicholas
2dc514af-3a53-45ef-a962-a5df442d7a2c
Bullock, Seth
2ad576e4-56b8-4f31-84e0-51bd0b7a1cd3
Taylor, Tim
2add4572-13c1-4b09-a773-aeacf997e7e8
Timmis, Jon
b68f4b8e-6192-4caf-858d-8185f6e7c66f
Hill, Nicholas, Bullock, Seth, Taylor, Tim and Timmis, Jon
(2015)
Modelling the role of trail pheromone in the collective construction of termite royal chambers.
Andrews, Paul, Caves, Leo, Doursat, Rene, Hickinbotham, Simon, Polack, Fiona and Stepney, Susan
(eds.)
In Advances in Artificial Life, ECAL 2015.
MIT Press.
.
(doi:10.7551/978-0-262-33027-5-ch011).
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Experiments with worker termites constructing a royal chamber around a termite queen in species Macrotermes subhyalinus (Rambur) have shown that both trail and cement pheromones are involved and necessary for the successful formation of pillars during the building process. However, earlier models of the construction were able to demonstrate stigmergic pillar formation with cement pheromone alone. We present results from a new three-dimensional agent-based model, developed to investigate the role of trail pheromone in the construction process. The model is able to demonstrate how, if the properties of the cement pheromone are altered so that its attractive influence is more localised than in earlier models, termites are unable to produce significant pillar formation. The model shows how the addition of trail deposition and following effectively increases the range of the stigmergic effect so that pillar formation is restored. The presence of trail pheromone also results in pillars which are narrower than those produced by cement pheromone alone, and which show more pronounced lateral extensions. Additionally the paths that the termites take from the termite queen to building sites become more directed with time. These features are in keeping with observation and have not been previously modelled.
Text
Hill and Bullock ECAL 2015.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 28 April 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 20 July 2015
Venue - Dates:
European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL 2015), , York, United Kingdom, 2015-07-20 - 2017-07-24
Organisations:
Agents, Interactions & Complexity
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 376660
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/376660
PURE UUID: f69b8f65-38a8-4504-938d-7f554b412ced
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 20 May 2015 11:32
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:55
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Contributors
Author:
Nicholas Hill
Author:
Tim Taylor
Author:
Jon Timmis
Editor:
Paul Andrews
Editor:
Leo Caves
Editor:
Rene Doursat
Editor:
Simon Hickinbotham
Editor:
Fiona Polack
Editor:
Susan Stepney
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