Highly sensitive positron imaging reveals short-term food distribution patterns in ant groups

Studying food distribution in ant groups is essential for investigating social behavior, offering valuable insights into resource allocation, group dynamics, and environmental adaptation, thereby advancing ecological research. In this work, a highly sensitive and quantitative experimental tool was developed to visualize changes over time in food distribution within ant groups using positron-emitting radionuclides and a radiation imaging system. Food distribution observations within a 100-ant group allowed changes in an index of dispersion for food allocation to be quantified for 3 h. The method's accuracy was confirmed by cross-checking with the results of a conventional quantification method using a gamma counter. Additionally, we successfully visualized food distribution in a 12-ant group and quantified the amount of food exchanged over a 30-min period. This method can be used to elucidate the mechanisms that control food distribution.