Summary
A numerical model of an eusocial colony foraging for food showed that, for each set of values of resource density, resource size and recruitment system employed, a given optimal proportion of scouts in the colony maximize the amount of resources retrieved by a colony during a fixed period. The model predicts that ants using mass recruitment systems should have larger colonies with small foragers, and should forage on large food sources. Retrieval of small food sources by small colonies is best achieved with large workers using individual foraging strategies. For mass foragers, several food sources are best retrieved using democratic decision-making systems in recruitment, whereas for very large food sources at very low mean food patch density, autocratic decision-making systems are optimal. Some of the experimental evidence available is discussed in the light of these findings, as they confirm the prediction that large colonies with small workers have mass recruitment systems, whereas workers of small colonies with large workers are generally lone foragers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beckers, R., S. Goss, J. L. Deneubourg and J. M. Pasteels, 1989. Colony size, communication and ant foraging strategies.Psyche 96:239–256.
Deneubourg, J. L. and S. Goss, 1989. Collective patterns and decision-making.Ethol. Ecol. Evol. 1:295–311.
Goss, S., J. L. Deneubourg, J. M. Pasteels and G. Josens, 1989. A model of noncooperative foraging in social insects.Amer. Nat. 134:273–287.
Jaffe, K., 1980. A theoretical analysis of the communication system for chemical mass recruitment in ants.J. theor. Biol. 84:589–609.
Jaffe, K., 1984. Negentropy and the evolution of chemical recruitment in ants.J. theor. Biol. 106:587–604.
Jaffe, K. and P. E. Howse, 1979. The mass recruitment system of the leaf-cutting antAna cephalotes.Anim. Behav. 27:930–939.
Jaffe, K., G. Villegas, O. Colmenares, H. Puche, N. Zabala, M. Alvarez, J. G. Navarro and E. Pino, 1985. Two different decision making systems in recruitment to food in ant societies.Behaviour 92:9–21.
Johnson, L. K., S. P. Hubbell and D. H. Feener, 1987. Defense of food supply by eusocial colonies.Amer. Zool. 27:347–358.
Nuñez, J., 1982. Comparación del comportamiento recolector de abejas africanizadas y abejas europeas. In:Social Insects in the Tropics (P. Jaisson, Ed.). Univ. Paris Nord, Vol 1, pp. 221–231.
Taylor, F., 1978. Foraging behavior of ants: Theoretical considerations.J. theor. Biol. 71:541–565.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jaffe, K., Deneubourg, J.L. On foraging, recruitment systems and optimum number of scouts in eusocial colonies. Ins. Soc 39, 201–213 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01249295
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01249295