The Role of Dopamine in Collective Regulation of Foraging in Harvester Ants

Individual behavioral variation within colonies is shaped by neurochemical signaling. Dopamine is a key neuromodulator associated with locomotion, arousal, and reward across taxa. Here we investigate the role of dopamine in regulating the transition between behavioral states in red harvester ant workers. We show that dopamine levels differ between ants performing different tasks, and that...