SHORT-TERM ACTIVITY CYCLES IN ANTS - A PHASE RESPONSE CURVE AND PHASE RESETTING IN WORKER ACTIVITY

Single, isolated worker ants are known to become spontaneously active and to respond to interactions with other, active ants. Here I explore the consequences of an interaction between two worker ants on the timing of activity. Isolated worker ants become active after an interval that is characteristic for each individual. The effect of an interaction between two worker ants is strongly dependent on when the interaction takes place. The effect of an interaction is always to decrease the expected interval until the onset of activity. By studying the effect of an interaction on subsequent intervals of activity, it is possible to reject the hypothesis that the change in timing of activity is due to a change in the characteristic period of activity. Rather, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that an interaction causes a phase shift in the normal activity oscillation. The phase-response curve is derived from the observational data. A knowledge of the dynamics of the interactions of individual ants is necessary in order to begin to reconstruct the patterns of colony behavioral activity.