Researchers have directly visualised and measured individual pheromone deposits made by ants, revealing that the chemical building blocks of collective trails are far less uniform than previously assumed.
Using interferometric imaging, scientists examined pheromone deposits left by Lasius niger ants. Individual deposits contained approximately one picolitre of material, but their volumes varied twentyfold. Most of each deposit evaporated within seconds, leaving a residue that subsequently lost approximately 10% of its volume over an hour. The measurements reveal previously inaccessible details of how individual signalling events contribute to persistent environmental information.
