In IB Biology HL C4.1.9, compare competition within a species for resources such as food, mates and space with cooperation such as shared tasks, colony protection and specialized foraging.
The pavement ant (Tetramorium caespitum) eats organic matter found within its territory. Individual ants leave their nest to forage for food. When they find a suitable source of food they return and communicate to other ants in the colony where the food can be found. The diagram shows the path of one ant when foraging for food and returning to the nest after finding food.
State one advantage to an insect of living in a colony.