Role and variability of response thresholds in the regulation of division of labor in insect societies

Abstract

In this chapter, the regulation of division of labor in social insect colonies is studied from the perspective of response thresholds. Response thresholds refer to likelihood of reacting to task-associated stimuli. Low-threshold individuals perform tasks at a lower level of stimulus than high-threshold individuals. Task performance reduces the level of task-associated stimuli. A model based on fixed response thresholds is described, its assumptions discussed, and some of its predictions are shown to be in agreement with empirical observations. This model can be modified to make thresholds variable, but experimental results are scarce to guide the design of a model with variable thresholds. It is suggested, however, that the response threshold framework can help us understand the regulation of division of labor in social insects from a unifying perspective.