Foraging behaviour affects nest architecture in a cross-species comparison of ant nests.

Animals construct and inhabit nests that can exhibit dramatic intra- and interspecific variation due to differences in behaviour, the biotic and abiotic environment, and evolutionary history. In ants, variation in nest architecture reflects both differences in ecology and in the collective behaviour of the colonies that live in the nests. Each component of the nest (such as depth, and the number, size and connectivity of chambers) reflects selective pressures for different functions, or structural constraints that are imposed by the environment or evolutionary history.