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Encyclopedia of Social Insects pp 1–2Cite as

Nest Homeostasis

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Synonyms

Steady state; Thermoregulation

Homeostasis is the maintenance of ordered and stable conditions inside a living system. Nest homeostasis is an application of this principle to the nests of social insects, the active maintenance of nest conditions through the actions of workers. Studies of nest homeostasis and the behavior involved in its maintenance have shed important light on ecology, communication, division of labor, and social cognition. François Huber appears to have been the first to study homeostasis in a social insect, with his studies of atmospheric regulation inside the hive of honey bees [2], anticipating our modern concept of sociophysiology, as well as individual response thresholds and their relevance for division of labor.

Familiar examples of nest homeostasis include the regulation of temperature, humidity, and oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, but a broader concept of homeostasis includes the maintenance of any form of dynamic order in the colony, such as the...

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References

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  2. Huber, F. (1841). Natural history of the honey bee. London: Thomas Tegg.

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  7. Weidenmueller, A. (2004). The control of nest climate in bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colonies: Interindividual variability and self reinforcement in fanning response. Behavioural Ecology, 15, 120–128.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Samuel N. Beshers

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  1. Samuel N. Beshers
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Correspondence to Samuel N. Beshers .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of the West Indies, Department of Life Sciences University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Christopher Starr

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Beshers, S.N. (2019). Nest Homeostasis. In: Starr, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Insects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_161-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90306-4_161-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90306-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90306-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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