Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Biol Open. 2024 Jul 15;13(10). doi: 10.1242/bio.060422. Epub 2024 Oct 16.
Social interactions are important for how societies function, conferring robustness and resilience to environmental changes. The structure of social interactions can shape the dynamics of information and goods transmission. In addition, the availability and types of resources that are transferred might impact the structure of interaction networks. For example, storable resources might reduce the required speed of distribution and altering interaction structure can facilitate such change. Here, we use Camponotus fragilis ants as a model system to examine how social interactions are impacted by group size, food availability, and food type. We compare global- and individual-level network measures across experiments in which groups of different sizes received limited or unlimited food that is either favorable and cannot be stored (carbohydrates), or unfavorable but with a potential of being stored (protein). We found that in larger groups, individuals interacted with more social partners and connected more individuals, and interaction networks became more compartmentalized. Furthermore, the number of individuals that ants interacted with and the distance they traveled both increased when food was limited compared to when it was unlimited. Our findings highlight how biological systems can adjust their interaction networks in ways that relate to their function. The study of such biological flexibility can inspire novel and important solutions to the design of robust and resilient supply chains.
社会互动对于社会的运作至关重要，为环境变化提供了稳健性和恢复力。社会互动的结构可以塑造信息和货物传输的动态。此外，可传递资源的可用性和类型可能会影响交互网络的结构。例如，可储存的资源可能会降低分配所需的速度，而改变交互结构可以促进这种变化。在这里，我们使用 Camponotus fragilis 蚂蚁作为模型系统，研究群体大小、食物供应和食物类型如何影响社会互动。我们比较了不同大小的群体在接受有限或无限的、有利但不可储存的（碳水化合物）或不利但有储存潜力的（蛋白质）食物时，在不同实验中进行的全局和个体网络测量。我们发现，在较大的群体中，个体与更多的社交伙伴互动，并连接更多的个体，互动网络变得更加分隔。此外，与食物供应无限时相比，当食物供应有限时，蚂蚁互动的个体数量和它们旅行的距离都增加了。我们的研究结果强调了生物系统如何以与其功能相关的方式调整其交互网络。对这种生物灵活性的研究可以为设计稳健和有弹性的供应链提供新颖而重要的解决方案。
