Smart Nests: Adaptive Architecture in Ant Societies

Objective

Social species construct intricate buildings as a buffer against the environment. In turn, spatial architecture exerts a profound influence on an array of important processes, moulding the movement of individuals, the flow of resources, the exchange of information, and the spread of pathogens. Although there is growing interest in understanding how architecture can be used as a tool to optimise transmission trade-offs and overcome environmental perturbations, practical and ethical restrictions have limited empirical progress. We propose that social insect architecture, refined through millions of years of evolution, provides a valuable testbed for exploring these questions experimentally. In SmartNests, we will first investigate how ants alter their nest architecture when exposed to biotic stress (WP1). Using micro-CT scanning, we will look for changes in nest structure in colonies faced with disease or with unpredictable food supply location. We will then house colonies in artificial copies of these nests to test whether these architectural changes result in fitness benefits. Additionally, we will use individual tracking, deep learning methods for behavioural classification and agent-based modelling to uncover the individual-level mechanisms underlying architectural plasticity. Second, we will develop new methods for the real-time tracking of individuals, resources and pathogens within 3D nests and for manipulating movement within 2D nests, providing the first experimental insights into the costs and benefits of architectural interventions for disease control (WP2). Third, we will develop a new non-destructive method to map underground nests in the field, using Ground Penetrating Radar (WP3). This research will deepen understanding of how architecture influences collective resilience, with potential broad implications for biomimetic design, urban planning, and strategies to mitigate major challenges like infectious diseases in human and other biological systems.