Chatterjee Atanu, Tzook Tom, Gov Nir S, Feinerman Ofer
Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 1;16(1):5983. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-61158-6.
It is widely recognized that biological collectives operate near criticality to amplify their capability of collective response. The peak in susceptibility near criticality renders these groups highly responsive to external stimuli. While this phenomenon has been recognized and supported by evidence from theory, a direct experimental demonstration has been elusive. To bridge this gap, here we record the response of a group of Paratrechina longicornis ants to external stimuli as they join efforts to carry food to their nest. Using a robotic system that mimics a transient leader, we apply tactile ant-scale forces and measure the group's response at sub, near, and supercritical regimes. Supported by theory and simulations, we provide direct experimental evidence to demonstrate that at critical group size, the collective response of the ants to an external force is maximally amplified.
人们普遍认识到，生物群体在临界状态附近运作，以增强其集体反应能力。临界状态附近敏感性的峰值使这些群体对外界刺激高度敏感。虽然这一现象已得到理论证据的认可和支持，但直接的实验证明却难以实现。为了填补这一空白，我们在此记录了一群长足捷蚁在共同努力将食物运回巢穴时对外界刺激的反应。我们使用一个模拟临时领导者的机器人系统，施加蚁类尺度的触觉力，并测量该群体在亚临界、近临界和超临界状态下的反应。在理论和模拟的支持下，我们提供了直接的实验证据，证明在临界群体规模下，蚂蚁对外部力量的集体反应得到最大程度的放大。
