Modelling of the chemical recognition system of ants

In this paper, we introduce a new mathematical model of the chemical recognition system of ants. This mechanism of colonial closure, can be observed when real ants need to discriminate between nestmates and intruders. Many works already describe this phenomenon for distinct species, but none of them formalises it from a computational point of view. In this work, we aim at reproducing experiments that are performed by biologists with real ants and testing hypothesis that may explain biological results. To reach our goal, we first model the individual and social behaviours that are involved in the establishment of a Gestalt odour in the colonies. We then simulate these behaviours in an artificial laboratory. For the time being, our results confirm the role of food in the divergence of cuticular odours profiles for the fungus growing ant species. Moreover, our system allow one to better appreciate the role of external cues such as queen and environmental odour as their influence is fully parameterised by the user.