Growth and survival of the superorganism: Ant colony macronutrient intake and investment.

In this study, we used two common ant species ( and ) to assay how they translate variation in the diet (both in composition and frequency) into growth. We measured colony development for over 8 months and measured several phenotypic traits of the worker caste, and examined whether forager preference corresponded with diet quality. Optimal colony growth was a balance between survival and growth, and each of these was maximized with different nutrient regimes.