Inside the ant colony - Deborah M. Gordon

蟻群內的奧秘 - 戴波拉·高登 (Deborah M. Gordon)

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

Think about all the things that need to happen

想一下要發生多少事

for a human settlement to thrive:

才能讓一個人類聚落興旺：

obtaining food,

覓食

building shelter,

建屋

raising children and more.

生兒育女…等等

There needs to be a way to divide resources,

必須要有方法分配資源

organize major efforts

安排主要工作

and distribute labor efficiently.

及有效分配勞工

Now imagine having to do this without any sort of planning

想像一下在沒有任何計畫

or higher level communication.

或更高階的通訊下做這些事

Welcome to the ant colony.

歡迎來到蟻群世界

Ants have some of the most complex social organization

螞蟻在動物界中

具相當複雜的社會結構

in the animal kingdom,

living in structured colonies

生活在有架構的群體裡

containing different types of members

裡面包含各式不同類型的成員

who perform specific roles.

扮演特定的角色

But although this may sound similar to some human societies,

雖然這聽起來近似於人類社會

this organization doesn't arise from any higher level decisions,

但這種組織並不靠高階決策興起

but is part of a biologically programmed cycle.

靠的是生物程控周期

In many species,

有許多品種的螞蟻

all the winged males and winged virgin queens

所有住在鄰近蟻群的有翅雄蟻

from all the nearby colonies in the population

及有翅處女蟻后

each leave from their different nests

每一隻都要從牠們的窩離開

and meet at a central place to mate,

到中央會面及交配

using pheromones to guide each other to a breeding ground.

以費洛蒙引導彼此到繁殖地

After mating, the males die off,

交配之後，雄蟻一一殉難

while females try to establish a new colony.

而蟻后則試著建立一個新蟻群

The few that are successful settle down in a suitable spot,

能在合適地點定居下來的少數蟻后

lose their wings,

會脫落翅膀

and begin laying eggs,

並開始下蛋

selectively fertilizing some using stored sperm they've saved up from mating.

用牠們在交配時保存下來的精子 選擇性地讓蛋受精

Fertilized eggs grow into female workers

受精卵長成雌性工蟻

who care for the queen and her eggs.

負責照顧蟻后及牠所下的蛋

They will then defend the colony

之後牠們要保衛蟻群

and forage for food,

還要覓食

while unfertilized eggs grow into males

在此同時，未受精卵則長成雄蟻

whose only job is to wait until they are ready to leave the nest

牠們唯一的工作就是等待

直到牠們能離窩並繁殖

and reproduce, beginning the cycle again.

生命週而復始

So how do worker ants decide what to do and when?

那麼工蟻如何決定何時要做何事？

Well, they don't really.

嗯，牠們其實並不做決定

Although they have no methods of intentional communication,

雖然牠們沒有意向溝通的方法

individual ants do interact with one another

螞蟻個體之間的確可以

through touch, sound and chemical signals.

透過碰觸、聲音及化學信號互動

These stimuli accomplish many things

這些刺激能完成許多事

from serving as an alarm to other ants if one is killed,

例如在有螞蟻被殺時 能警示其他螞蟻

to signaling when a queen is nearing the end of her reproductive life.

或是蟻后瀕臨生育年齡尾聲時發出信號

But one of the most impressive collective capabilities of an ant colony

但是蟻群最令人敬佩的集體能力

is to thoroughly and efficiently explore large areas

是徹底和有效地探索大面積土地

without any predetermined plan.

不需任何事前計畫

Most species of ants have little or no sense of sight

大多種類的螞蟻視力很差

and can only smell things in their vicinity.

也只能聞到牠們附近的味道

Combined with their lack of high level coordination,

再加上牠們沒有高階協調

this would seem to make them terrible explorers,

這讓它們像糟透的探險家

but there is an amazingly simple way

但有一種了不起的簡單方法

that ants maximize their searching efficiency;

讓螞蟻最佳化牠們的搜尋效率

by changing their movement patterns

就是以個體間的互動為基礎

based on individual interactions.

改變牠們移動的模式

When two ants meet,

當兩隻螞蟻相遇

they sense each other by touching antennae.

牠們藉觸角接觸感覺到對方

If there are many ants in a small area this will happen more often

如果在一個小面積內有很多螞蟻 這會經常發生

causing them to respond by moving

使得牠們作出反應

in more convoluted, random paths in order to search more thoroughly.

以更迴旋、隨機的方式移動 使搜尋更徹底

But in a larger area, with less ants, where such meetings happen less often,

但在大面積地區，螞蟻較少 這樣的碰觸較少發生

they can walk in straight lines to cover more ground.

牠們能走一直線來涵蓋更多地面

While exploring their environment in this way,

當螞蟻以這種方法探索環境

an ant may come across any number of things,

牠們可能會碰到很多情況

from threats or enemies, to alternate nesting sites.

像碰到威脅或敵人，或交替營巢處所

And some species have another capability known as recruitment.

某些種類還有另一種能力，稱為招募

When one of these ants happens to find food,

當這種螞蟻要找食物

it will return with it, marking its path with a chemical scent.

牠會把食物帶回來 並在路徑上留下一種化學氣味

Other ants will then follow this pheromone trail,

別的螞蟻就會循著這種費洛蒙路標

renewing it each time they manage to find food and return.

並在每次找尋食物的往返途中加重氣味

Once the food in that spot is depleted,

當那區的食物消耗殆盡

the ants stop marking their return.

螞蟻就停止釋放回程的路標

The scent dissipates and ants are no longer attracted to that path.

這種氣味因而消失 螞蟻就不再被吸引至那條路徑

These seemingly crude methods of search and retrieval

這種看來粗糙的搜尋及檢索方法

are, in fact, so useful that they are applied in computer models

實際上非常有用 甚至可應用在電腦模式上

to obtain optimal solutions from decentralized elements,

以獲得分散元件的最佳解

working randomly and exchanging simple information.

隨機工作與交換簡單資訊

This has many theoretical and practical applications,

這個方法有很多理論及實際的應用

from solving the famous traveling salesman problem,

從解決有名的銷售員旅行問題

to scheduling computing tasks and optimizing Internet searches,

到計算任務、最佳化網路搜尋

to enabling groups of robots to search a minefield

及賦能機器人群組搜尋布雷區

or a burning building collectively, without any central control.

或燃燒中的建築物皆可 無需任何中央控制

But you can observe these fascinatingly simple, yet effective, processes directly

但是你能直接觀察到這些 超簡單卻極有效的過程

through some simple experiments,

只要透過幾個簡單的實驗即可

by allowing ants to enter empty spaces of various sizes

讓螞蟻進入不同大小的空間

and paying attention to their behavior.

並仔細觀察牠們的行為

Ants may not be able to vote, hold meetings or even make any plans,

螞蟻可能無法投票、開會 甚至做任何計畫

but we humans may still be able to learn something

但我們人類仍可能從中學習

from the way that such simple creatures

這麼簡單的生物

are able to function so effectively in such complex ways.

如何以這麼複雜的方法有效地工作