IT’S tempting to think of ant colonies as a model for a super-efficient society in which each individual specialises in one task. This time-honoured analogy is challenged by research that suggests that the insects’ penchant for specialisation doesn’t explain their extraordinary efficiency.
Anna Dornhaus at the University of Arizona in Tucson colour-coded over 1000 rock ants and then videotaped them as they foraged for food and built their nest. She defined efficiency by how quickly the ants completed a task, and specialisation by pinpointing which ants performed the same task repeatedly.
To her surprise, specialists were no more likely to…
