Topic: environmental conditions

Brad Gemmell discusses how changing environmental conditions affect the behaviour and ecology of small marine organisms. Topics include ctenophore predation, diatoms and ocean carbon cycling, and the role of upside-down Cassiopea jellyfish as ecosystem engineers. The conversation connects organismal physiology and movement with broader changes in marine ecosystems.

Collective behaviour operates without central control, through interactions among individuals. The collective behaviour of ant colonies is based on simple olfactory interactions. Ant species differ enormously in the algorithms that regulate collective behaviour, reflecting diversity in ecology. I will contrast two species in very different ecological situations. Harvester ant colonies in the desert, where water is scarce but conditions are stable, regulate foraging to conserve water. Response to positive feedback from olfactory interactions depends on the risk of water loss, mediated by dopa