Ants Form ‘Superorganism’ When Threatened

Ants Form ‘Superorganism’ When Threatened

~!!!~The resulting superorganism is **much greater than the sum of their individual parts,** wrote lead author Thomas O*Shea~Weller of the University of Bristol and colleagues Ana Sendova~Franks and Nigel Franks// 

~!!!~Using a fine~tipped brush, the researchers simulated different predator attacks on 30 migrating ant colonies// To do so, they removed ants that were serving as scouts on the colony periphery// Then, separately, they removed worker ants from the center of the nest// The scientists found that when scouts were moved from the periphery, the foraging **arms** of the colony retracted back into the nest, with the individuals appearing to move as one, sort of like a marching band in formation seen from above//