Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33005314›Full record

ReviewComputational and structural biotechnology journal2020

Revisiting stigmergy in light of multi-functional, biogenic, termite structures as communication channel.

Sebastian Oberst, Joseph C S Lai, Richard Martin, Benjamin J Halkon, Mohammad Saadatfar, Theodore A Evans

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Computational and structural biotechnology journal, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Stigmergy: from mathematical modelling to control.Royal Society open science · 2024
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Submillimetre mechanistic designs of termite-built structures.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Sebastian OberstCentre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
Joseph C S LaiSchool of Engineering and IT, University of New South Wales Canberra, Northcott Dr, Campbell ACT 2612, Australia.
Richard MartinCentre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
Benjamin J HalkonCentre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
Mohammad SaadatfarDepartment of Applied Mathematics, Australian National University, 58-60 Mills Road, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Theodore A EvansSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
University of Technology Sydney · AUAustralian National University · AUThe University of Western Australia · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Termite mounds are fascinating because of their intriguing composition of numerous geometric shapes and materials. However, little is known about these structures, or of their functionalities. Most research has been on the basic composition of mounds compared with surrounding soils. There has been some targeted research on the thermoregulation and ventilation of the mounds of a few species of fungi-growing termites, which has generated considerable interest from human architecture. Otherwise, research on termite mounds has been scattered, with little work on their explicit properties. This review is focused on how termites design and build functional structures as nest, nursery and food storage; for thermoregulation and climatisation; as defence, shelter and refuge; as a foraging tool or building material; and for colony communication, either as in indirect communication (stigmergy) or as an information channel essential for direct communication through vibrations (biotremology). Our analysis shows that systematic research is required to study the properties of these structures such as porosity and material composition. High resolution computer tomography in combination with nonlinear dynamics and methods from computational intelligence may provide breakthroughs in unveiling the secrets of termite behaviour and their mounds. In particular, the examination of dynamic and wave propagation properties of termite-built structures in combination with a detailed signal analysis of termite activities is required to better understand the interplay between termites and their nest as superorganism. How termite structures serve as defence in the form of disguising acoustic and vibration signals from detection by predators, and what role local and global vibration synchronisation plays for building are open questions that need to be addressed to provide insights into how termites utilise materials to thrive in a world of predators and competitors.

Indexed as

BiotremologyComplexityFunctional materialsSuperorganismTermite structuresVibrational communication

Identifiers

PMID33005314
PMCPMC7516209
OpenAlexW3076805169

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.