STOP AND GO: EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE MECHANISMS FOR DYNAMIC TASK ALLOCATION IN SOCIAL INSECTS-RESPONSE AND SATISFACTION THRESHOLDS TRADE OFF TIME INVESTED AND WORK ACCOMPLISHED DIFFERENTLY

Abstract

The mixed results of the response threshold model for division of labor in social insects suggests that threshold-based models can be useful tools for understanding how division of labor emerges in social insects, yet our current paradigm is incomplete. We therefore introduce two new models for division of labor to potentially fill this knowledge-gap that we name the ‘satisfaction threshold’ and ‘composite threshold’ models. If the response threshold results in specialization by allowing some individuals to respond to a task-associated stimulus sooner than others, then the satisfaction threshold results in specialization by allowing some individuals to stop performing the task later than others. Composite thresholds are found in individuals who have both a response and satisfaction threshold. Here, we show that these models yield different colony-level behaviors and suggest that different threshold models may be better suited for different types of tasks.