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How miscommunication can improve collective performance in social insects

Bradley D Ohlinger1, Takao Sasaki2

  • 1Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|October 29, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Communication errors can surprisingly benefit social insects like Temnothorax ants during foraging. These errors, arising from tandem running, may improve collective performance in specific environments.

Keywords:
Temnothoraxcollective decision makingerrorstandem running

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