The Spiral Trap of Death
In a peculiar occurrence, army ants can often find themselves in a spiral trap until they achieve death by exhaustion. This phenomenon spawns out of their evolutionary sensing ability. Army ants lack both vision and long term homes. In spite of this disadvantage, instead of being stationary creatures, they are constantly looking for food in a swarm. This swarm interacts within itself through the spread of pheromones. Wherever one ant goes, others can detect its location and follow it through the trail of pheromones it leaves behind. The system has potential for great success, as it can help the ants easily lead large parties to food supplies. However, it can often yield failure, in which a trail of pheromones forms a loop within itself, and directs the ants on a path of endless cycle, spinning around in a circle until they die. This is known as an “ant mill.”
The way in which these ants interact with one another is a form of network. Instead of being linked through vision, they are tied together through the pheromone trail each emits and an evolutionary compulsion. This network, however, consists of rather weak ties, as it is very possible for a cluster of ants to break off into one of these “ant mills” and be completely separated from the rest of the swarm. Thus, it is a rather volatile network.
While from a low level perspective, it may seem as though the way in which this system interacts within itself may be drastically different from human networks. However, a high level examination shows that the two are quite similar. In the system of ants, it involves the blind leading the blind, and as the article shows, it can often lead to disastrous consequences. This is similar to how in human culture, people often find themselves mindlessly following the guidance of other people, who themselves may be mindlessly following the guidance of a disillusioned leader.
Link: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/why-do-army-ants-commit-suicide