Termites as models of swarm cognition

Swarm Intelligence

Volumn 5, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 19-43

  Turner, J Scott ^a  

^a STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK   (United States)

Author keywords

Macrotermes; Social insect; Stigmergy; Superorganism; Swarm Cognition; Termites

Indexed keywords

CELLULAR AUTOMATA; COMPUTER SCIENCE;

MACROTERMES; SOCIAL INSECTS; STIGMERGY; SUPERORGANISM; SWARM COGNITION; TERMITES;

SWARM INTELLIGENCE;

EID: 78751580701     PISSN: 19353812     EISSN: 19353820     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11721-010-0049-1     Document Type: Article

References (41)

1. Aanen, D. K., Eggleton, P., Rouland-Lefèvre, C., Guldberg-Frøslev, T., Rosendahl, S., & Boomsma, J. J. (2002). The evolution of fungus-growing termites and their mutualistic fungal symbionts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 99(23), 14887-14892.
2. Agosti, D., & Johnson, N. F. (2005). Antbase. World Wide Web electronic publication. antbase. org, version (05/2005). Available at http://antbase. org/.
3. Batra, S. W. T., & Batra, L. R. (1967). The fungus gardens of insects. Scientific American, 217, 112-120.
4. Batra, L. R., & Batra, S. W. T. (1979). Termite-fungus mutualism. In L. R. Batra (Ed.), Insect-fungus symbiosis. Nutrition, mutualism and commensalism (pp. 117-163). New York: Wiley.
5. Bechara, A. (2002). The neurology of social cognition. Brain, 125, 1673-1675.
6. Bonabeau, E., Dorigo, M., & Theraulaz, G. (1999). Swarm intelligence. From natural to artificial systems. New York: Oxford University Press.
7. Collins, N. M. (1979). The nests of Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) from Mokwa, Nigeria. Insectes Sociaux, 26(3), 240-246.
8. Courtois, P. J., & Heymans, F. (1991). A simulation of the construction process of a termite nest. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 153, 469-475.
9. Dangerfield, J. M., McCarthy, T. S., & Ellery, W. N. (1998). The mound-building termite Macrotermes michaelseni as an ecosystem engineer. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 14, 507-520.
10. Darlington, J. P. E. C. (1985). The structure of mature mounds of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni in Kenya. Insect Science and Its Application, 6(2), 149-156.
11. Darlington, J. P. E. C. (1986). The structure of mature mounds of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni in Kenya. Insect Science and Its Application, 6, 149-156.
12. Darlington, J. P. E. C. (1990). Populations in nests of the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus in Kenya. Insectes Sociaux, 37(2), 158-168.
13. Darlington, J. P. E. C. (1994). Nutrition and evolution in fungus-growing termites. In J. H. Hunt & C. A. Nalepa (Eds.), Nourishment and evolution in insect societies (pp. 105-130). Boulder: Westview Press.
14. Darlington, J. P. E. C., Zimmerman, P. R., Greenberg, J., Westberg, C., & Bakwin, P. (1997). Production of metabolic gases by nests of the termite Macrotermes jeaneli in Kenya. Ecology Journal of Tropical, 13, 491-510.
15. Golley, F. B. (1993). A history of the ecosystem concept in ecology. New Haven: Yale University Press.
16. Grassé, P.-P. (1959). La reconstruction du nid et les coordinations inter-individuelles chez Bellicositermes et Cubitermes sp. La théorie de la stigmergie: Essai d'interprétationdu comportement des termites constructeurs. Insectes Sociaux, 6, 41-80.
17. Harris, W. V. (1956). Termite mound building. Insectes Sociaux, 3(2), 261-268.
18. Hutchins, E. (2000). Cognition in the wild. Cambridge: MIT Press.
19. Kandel, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., & Jessell, T. M. (Eds.) (1991). Principles of neural science. New York: Elsevier.
20. Krishna, K., & Weesner, F. (1969). Biology of termites. New York: Academic Press.
21. Lüscher, M. (1961). Air conditioned termite nests. Scientific American, 205(1), 138-145.
22. Michener, C. D. (2000). The bees of the world. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
23. Millonas, M. M. (1994). Swarms, phase transitions, and collective intelligence. In C. G. Langton (Ed.), Artificial life III (pp. 417-445). Reading: Addison-Wesley.
24. Mitchell, W. (1977). Ecological effects of termite mounds. Wild Rhodesia, 14, 11-14.
25. Moritz, R. F. A., & Southwick, E. E. (1992). Bees as superorganisms. An evolutionary reality. Berlin: Springer.
26. Novikoff, A. B. (1945). The concept of integrative levels and biology. Science, 101(2618), 209-215.
27. Rohrmann, G. F. (1978). The origin, structure, and nutritional importance of the comb in two species of Macrotermitinae (Insecta, Isoptera). Pedobiologia, 18, 89-98.
28. Rouland-Lefevre, C. (2000). Symbiosis with fungi. In T. Abe, D. E. Bignell, & M. Higashi (Eds.), Termites: evolution, sociality, symbioses, ecology (pp. 289-306). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
29. Turner, J. S. (1994). Ventilation and thermal constancy of a colony of a southern African termite (Odontotermes transvaalensis: Macrotermitinae). Journal of Arid Environments, 28, 231-248.
30. Turner, J. S. (2001). On the mound of Macrotermes michaelseni as an organ of respiratory gas exchange. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 74(6), 798-822.
31. Turner, J. S. (2002). A superorganism's fuzzy boundary. Natural History, 111(6), 62-67.
32. Turner, J. S. (2005). Extended physiology of an insect-built structure. American Entomologist, 51(1), 36-38.
33. Turner, J. S. (2009a). Cognitive trap demo. Available at http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=8Q8N4vRMgXM.
34. Turner, J. S. (2009b). A swarm cognitive trap. Macrotermes michaelseni. Available at http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=WJCvsHJMWSM.
35. Turner, J. S. (2009c). Termite drinkers. Available at http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=7AOkb0epOgk.
36. Turner, J. S., & Soar, R. C. (2008). Beyond biomimicry: What termites can tell us about realizing the living building. In I. Wallis, L. Bilan, M. Smith, & A. S. Kazi (Eds.), Industrialised, integrated, intelligent sustainable construction (pp. 233-248). London, I3CON BSRIA.
37. van der Westhuizen, G. C. A., & Eicker, A. (1990). Species of Termitomyces occurring in South Africa. Mycological Research, 94(7), 923-937.
38. Weir, J. S. (1973). Air flow, evaporation and mineral accumulation in mounds of Macrotermes subhyalinus. Journal of Animal Ecology, 42, 509-520.
39. Wheeler, W. M. (1911). The ant colony as an organism. Journal of Morphology, 22, 302-325.
40. Wilson, E. O. (1971). The insect societies. Cambridge: Belknap/Harvard University Press.
41. Wood, T. G., & Thomas, R. J. (1989). The mutualistic association between Macrotermitinae and Termitomyces. In N. Wilding, N. M. Collins, P. M. Hammond, & J. F. Webber (Eds.), Insect-fungus interactions (pp. 69-92). London: Academic Press.