Collective behavior operates without central control, using local interactions among participants to allow groups to respond to changing conditions. Ant colonies function collectively, and the enormous diversity of more than 14,000 species of ants, in different habitats, provides opportunities to look for general ecological patterns. Dr. Deborah M. Gordon, Professor, Department of Biology, Stanford University, will contrast two ant species: harvester ants that (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) live in the desert,  where water is limited but conditions are stable, and the arboreal turtle ant (Cephalotes goniodontus ) that lives in the canopy of the tropical forest, where activity is easy but conditions are unpredictable. These examples suggest how collective behavior evolves to respond to changing situations. Dr. Gordon will present at the Zoom Cambridge Entomological Club meeting on November 8 at 7:30. Free. Free. Access the meeting by clicking HERE.