The clustering of dead bodies by ants is simulated, using a cellular automaton model, the rules of which are carefully derived from experiments. Starting from a random spatial distribution of corpses, a cemetery organizes itself into clusters of corpses. The dynamics of clustering can be...

We suggest that group effect need not be invoked to explain the differences in latency times exhibited by groups of different sizes in the initiation of building in the termite {\it Macrotermes subhyalinus} (Rambur), and in the initiation of aggressive behavior in various subspecies of the honey...

A simple response threshold model is used to explain a pattern of division of labour observed in the ponerine ant Ectatomma ruidum, where it was found that prey-foraging behaviour could be subdivided into two categories: stinging and transporting. Stingers kill live prey and transporters carry...

In previous papers (Theraulaz et al. 1995, Bonabeau et al. 1996) we suggested, following Hogeweg and Hesper (1983, 1985), that the formation of dominance orders in animal societies could result from a self-organizing process involving a double reinforcement mechanism: winners reinforce their...

In this article, we introduce a simple within-brood competitive growth model that maximizes parental fitness in unpredictable food conditions, in species that exhibit parental care, progressive provisioning, and an initial brood overproduction. We argue that competition between siblings may...

Army ant colonies display complex foraging raid patterns involving thousands of individuals communicating through chemical trails. In this paper we explore, by means of a simple search algorithm, the properties of these trails in order to test the hypothesis that their structure reflects an...

An elementary model of animal aggregation is presented. The gorup size distributions resulting from this model are truncated power laws. The predictions of the model are found to be consistent with data that describe the group size distributions of tuna fish, sardinellas, and African buffalos.<p> <p>...</p></p>

A simple mechanism is presented, based on ant-like agents, for routing and load balancing in telecommunications networks, following the initial works of Appleby and Stewart (1994) and Schoonderwoerd et al. (1997). In the present work, agents are very similar to those proposed by Schoonderwoerd...

The boards of large corporations sharing some of their directors are connected in complex networks. Boards are responsible for corporations' long-term strategy and are often involved in decisions about a common topic related to the belief in economical growth or recession. We are interested in...

How infectious diseases spread in space within one cycle of an epidemic is an important question that has received considerable theoretical attention. There are, however, few empirical studies to support theoretical approaches, because data is scarce. Weekly reports obtained since 1984 from a...