Figure 3. Evolved feedforward neural networks of a highly specialized colony.

In specialized colonies, the networks of the two parents (arbitrarily labelled ‘male’ and ‘female’) differ from each other in a systematic way. Top panels: for each parent, the evolved values of the connection weights and thresholds of the network are shown. Bottom panels: the stimulus-response characteristics of each network type are shown. For each combination of stimuli, the bottom graphs show whether the network is motivated to perform only task 1 (blue), only task 2 (red), both tasks (green; in this case, one task is chosen at random), or none (white). The trajectory of stimulus values from the start to the end of the work phase, in the last generation of the evolutionary simulation, is indicated in black. Starting values were . Other parameter values as in Figure 2B.