RESUMEN
A new species, Brachypsectra cleidecostae Lawrence, Monteith & Reid sp. nov., is described from Australia on the basis of one reared adult female from inland Queensland and larvae from the type locality and two other widely separated semi-arid localities in South Australia and Western Australia. Two of the four larval collections were from under tree bark and one was from ground litter. The species is differentiated on both adult and larval characters. The broader mandible with retention of a retinacular tooth may indicate a sister relationship with species of the genus from other continents.
Asunto(s)
Animales , Escarabajos/anatomía & histología , Escarabajos/clasificación , Larva/anatomía & histología , AustraliaRESUMEN
A new species, Brachypsectra cleidecostae Lawrence, Monteith & Reid sp. nov., is described from Australia on the basis of one reared adult female from inland Queensland and larvae from the type locality and two other widely separated semi-arid localities in South Australia and Western Australia. Two of the four larval collections were from under tree bark and one was from ground litter. The species is differentiated on both adult and larval characters. The broader mandible with retention of a retinacular tooth may indicate a sister relationship with species of the genus from other continents.(AU)
Asunto(s)
Animales , Escarabajos/anatomía & histología , Escarabajos/clasificación , Larva/anatomía & histología , AustraliaRESUMEN
Ants live in dynamically changing environments, where food sources become depleted and alternative sources appear. Yet most mathematical models of ant foraging assume that the ants' foraging environment is static. Here we describe a mathematical model of ant foraging in a dynamic environment. Our model attempts to explain recent empirical data on dynamic foraging in the Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Mayr). The ants are able to find the shortest path in a Towers of Hanoi maze, a complex network containing 32,768 alternative paths, even when the maze is altered dynamically. We modify existing models developed to explain ant foraging in static environments, to elucidate what possible mechanisms allow the ants to quickly adapt to changes in their foraging environment. Our results suggest that navigation of individual ants based on a combination of one pheromone deposited during foraging and directional information enables the ants to adapt their foraging trails and recreates the experimental results.
Asunto(s)
Hormigas/fisiología , Conducta Alimentaria/fisiología , Modelos Biológicos , Adaptación Fisiológica/fisiología , Algoritmos , Animales , Aprendizaje por Laberinto/fisiología , Feromonas/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Natural systems are a source of inspiration for computer algorithms designed to solve optimisation problems. Yet most 'nature-inspired' algorithms take only superficial inspiration from biology, and little is known about how real biological systems solve difficult problems. Moreover, ant algorithms, neural networks and similar methods are usually applied to static problems, whereas most biological systems have evolved to perform under dynamically changing conditions. We used the Towers of Hanoi puzzle to test whether Argentine ants can solve a potentially difficult optimisation problem. We also tested whether the ants can adapt to dynamic changes in the problem. We mapped all possible solutions to the Towers of Hanoi on a single graph and converted this into a maze for the ants to solve. We show that the ants are capable of solving the Towers of Hanoi, and are able to adapt when sections of the maze are blocked off and new sections installed. The presence of exploration pheromone increased the efficiency of the resulting network and increased the ants' ability to adapt to changing conditions. Contrary to previous studies, our study shows that mass-recruiting ant species such as the Argentine ant can forage effectively in a dynamic environment. Our results also suggest that novel optimisation algorithms can benefit from stronger biological mimicry.