Abstract
Collective behavior is produced by interactions among individuals. Differences among groups in individual response to interactions can lead to ecologically important variation among groups in collective behavior. Here we examine variation among colonies in the foraging behavior of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. Previous work shows how colonies regulate foraging in response to food availability and desiccation costs: the rate at which outgoing foragers leave the nest depends on the rate at which foragers return with food. To examine how colonies vary in response to humidity and in foraging rate, we performed field experiments that manipulated forager return rate in 94 trials with 17 colonies over 3 years. We found that the effect of returning foragers on the rate of outgoing foragers increases with humidity. There are consistent differences among colonies in foraging activity that persist from year to year.
Highlights
Collective behavior arises from the local interactions of individuals
Consistent differences among individuals in behavior [7], recently called personality [8,9], temperament [10] or behavioral syndromes [11], may be heritable reaction norms like those created by phenotypic plasticity in any other trait [12]
There was no significant relation of foraging rate and dew point, and no relation of the effect of returning foragers on outgoing foragers and foraging rate (Fig. 1C)
Summary
Collective behavior arises from the local interactions of individuals. The first question about collective behavior is how the actions of individuals add up to the dynamic behavior we observe. The recent explosion of work on collective behavior in many different animal groups [1,2,3,4,5]) seeks to describe how local interactions among individuals produce a certain collective outcome. Consistent differences among individuals in behavior [7], recently called personality [8,9], temperament [10] or behavioral syndromes [11], may be heritable reaction norms like those created by phenotypic plasticity in any other trait [12]
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