Spatial Organization - Spatial Organization in Eusocial Insects

Spatial Organization in Eusocial Insects

Individuals in a social insect colony can be spatially organized, or arranged non-randomly inside the nest. These miniature territories, or spatial fidelity zones have been described in honey bees (Apis mellifera), ants (Odontomachus brunneus; Temnothorax albipennis; Pheidole dentata), and paper wasps (Polistes dominulus, Ropalidia revolutionalis). While residing in these zones, workers perform the task appropriate to the area they reside. For example, individuals that remain in the center of an ant nest are more likely to feed larvae, whereas individuals found at the periphery of the nest are more likely to forage. E. O. Wilson proposed that by remaining in small, non-random areas inside the nest, the distance an individual moves between tasks may be minimized, and overall colony efficiency would increase.