Data from: Nest architecture shapes the collective behavior of harvester ants

Structures influence how individuals interact and therefore shape the collective behaviors that emerge from these interactions. Here I show that the structure of a nest influences the collective behavior of harvester ant colonies. Using network analysis I quantify nest architecture and find that as chamber connectivity and redundancy of connections among chambers increase, so does a colony’s speed of recruitment to food. Interestingly, the volume of the chambers did not influence speed of recruitment, suggesting that the spatial organization of a nest has a greater impact on collective behavior than the number of workers it can hold. Thus, by changing spatial constraints on social interactions organisms can modify their behavior and impact their fitness.