ABSTRACT
The behavior of individuals is embedded in the behavior of groups. To explain individual behavior, it is essential to take into account the ways in which every individual's behavior is determined by the group context. Research on the behavior of social insects is producing important new insights about individual behavior. Colonies modulate foraging and brood production in response to changes in food supply, nest construction in response to changes in weather, territorial behavior in response to changes in the pattern of encounters with neighboring species. In harvester ant colonies, the adjustments at the group level arise out of complex interactions among different groups engaged in various tasks. Such interactions between worker groups change as the colony matures. The experiments directly change the numbers of ants engaged in a particular task. Putting out barriers on the foraging trails causes a decrease in numbers foraging.
