Polymorphism in Army Ants Related to Division of Labor and Colony Cyclic Behavior

1971 ◽  
Vol 105 (946) ◽  
pp. 529-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Topoff
Author(s):  
Eric Bonabeau ◽  
Marco Dorigo ◽  
Guy Theraulaz

Insects that live in colonies, ants, bees, wasps, and termites, have fascinated naturalists as well as poets for many years. “What is it that governs here? What is it that issues orders, foresees the future, elaborates plans, and preserves equilibrium?,” wrote Maeterlinck [230]. These, indeed, are puzzling questions. Every single insect in a social insect colony seems to have its own agenda, and yet an insect colony looks so organized. The seamless integration of all individual activities does not seem to require any supervisor. For example, Leafcutter ants (Atta) cut leaves from plants and trees to grow fungi. Workers forage for leaves hundreds of meters away from the nest, literally organizing highways to and from their foraging sites [174]. Weaver ant (Oecophylla) workers form chains of their own bodies, allowing them to cross wide gaps and pull stiff leaf edges together to form a nest. Several chains can join to form a bigger one over which workers run back and forth. Such chains create enough force to pull leaf edges together. When the leaves are in place, the ants connect both edges with a continuous thread of silk emitted by a mature larva held by a worker [172, 174]. In their moving phase, army ants (such as Eciton) organize impressive hunting raids, involving up to 200,000 workers, during which they collect thousands of prey (see chapter 2, section 2.2.3) [52, 269, 282]. In a social insect colony, a worker usually does not perform all tasks, but rather specializes in a set of tasks, according to its morphology, age, or chance. This division of labor among nestmates, whereby different activities are performed simultaneously by groups of specialized individuals, is believed to be more efficient than if tasks were performed sequentially by unspecialized individuals [188, 272]. In polymorphic species of ants, two (or more) physically different types of workers coexist. For example, in Pheidole species, minor workers are smaller and morphologically distinct from major workers.


2009 ◽  
pp. 54-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Shastitko ◽  
S. Avdasheva ◽  
S. Golovanova

The analysis of competition policy under economic crisis is motivated by the fact that competition is a key factor for the level of productivity. The latter, in its turn, influences the scope and length of economic recession. In many Russian markets buyers' gains decline because of the weakness of competition, since suppliers are reluctant to cut prices in spite of the decreasing demand. Data on prices in Russia and abroad in the second half of 2008 show asymmetric price rigidity. At least two questions are important under economic crisis: the 'division of labor' between pro-active and protective tools of competition policy and the impact of anti-crisis policy on competition. Protective competition policy is insufficient in transition economy, especially in the days of crisis it should be supplemented with the well-designed industrial policy measures which do not contradict the goals of competition. The preferable tools of anti-crisis policy are also those that do not restrain competition.


1976 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliot Freidson

Author(s):  
E. A. Ponuzhdaev ◽  
Tatiana A. Shpilkina

The authors considered historical and topical issues of the international division of labor (MRT). The analysis and parallel of MRI data by ancient scientists, researchers, scientists and experts of the XVIII, XIX, and XXI centuries. On the example of the European Union countries Greece, Spain and Portugal, the analysis of GDP, wages and unemployment as key indicators that characterize the economy of countries is carried out. The historical «cycle» of social structures is given and the dynamics of the ratio of the upper (B), middle (C) and lower (H) classes is shown. It shows the current problems of world markets, taking into account sanctions, trade wars and the consequences of the pandemic. Prospects for the national division of labor (NDT) are defined.


2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 474-475
Author(s):  
Yukihiro HARADA ◽  
Kazumasa EBATO ◽  
Junpei YAGI
Keyword(s):  

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