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How does leaders interact with followers in the world of ants? What is the mystery of this interaction?
In the society of ants and termites, we can observe a phenomenon called "tandem running".This behavior is not only an important means of social learning, but also reveals the mystery of the interaction between ants.Two-person running refers to one ant as the leader and the other as the follower, the former guiding the latter from the nest to the source of food.This behavior allows the childish ants to learn the path and pass on knowledge throughout the group.
Two-person running among ants is an example of interactive teaching, one of the few cases in non-mammals.
While the double running, followers will keep in touch by touching the leader’s legs and abdomen.This tactile feedback not only promotes learning, but also helps followers identify signposts.Research shows that followers can learn the path better only if leaders slow down and frequently stop to view their followers.Such interaction allows ants to save a lot of time and energy in the process of finding new food sources or nests.
Among termites, double running is mostly used for courtship.The male and female termites flying out of the nest will guide each other and work together to find the right place to build a new nest.This behavior is not only a physical interaction, but also an emotional connection.Female termites release sex pheromone during leadership, attracting males to continue to follow and further establish a pairing relationship.
In addition to finding food, double running is also an important reproductive behavior.
In the ants' two-person running behavior, some species often perform in two-person form when searching for food sources, which not only speeds up the speed of finding food, but also ensures efficiency in helping to transport food back to the nest.While such a process quadruples the time it takes for a leader to reach his destination, it is a quick and effective wayfinding strategy for followers.
On the other hand, the behavior of two-person running is not completely impeccable. If followers lose contact during the process, they will slow down their return to the nest because they cannot find the leader.This also makes the ability to explore independently particularly important, because only through independent exploration can ants discover faster paths, thereby improving the efficiency of subsequent two-person runs.
Through the combination of social learning and individual learning, the way ants get information during a two-person run is worth noting.Research has found that experienced old ants are more inclined to be leaders, and they are able to guide their followers more slowly and accurately, thus making the learning process more efficient.In this process, young and inexperienced ants are often impatient, resulting in deviations in the learning process.
Experience rather than age is the main factor that promotes participation in double runs.
In termites, the behavior of two people running shows changes in sexual roles.For example, in some species, female termites act as leaders, while males follow.When a pair of termites are accidentally separated, usually the female will stop and the male will actively search to improve the chances of pairing.
In the process of running on the two, the interaction between ants and termites is not only a simple relationship of following and leadership, but also involves multiple levels such as learning, exploration and adaptation.The mystery of this interaction not only demonstrates the wisdom of organisms, but also makes us think: What impact does such social behavior have on the overall ecosystem?
When we observe the two-person running of ants and termites, we may think: How do they maintain this delicate interaction pattern in such a complex communication?
