Quantitative Study of the Fixed Threshold Model for the Regulation of Division of Labour in Insect Societies

A simple model of regulation of division of labour in insect societies is introduced and studied. Individuals are assumed to respond to task-related stimuli with response thresholds. When the intensity of a particular stimulus exceeds an individual’s response threshold, the individual engages in task performance with high probability, and successful task performance reduces the intensity of the stimulus. If individuals belonging to different (physical or behavioural) castes have different response thresholds, and if thresholds are assumed to remain fixed over the timescales of experiments, this model can account for some observations on ant species of Pheidole (Wilson 1984).