Before revision:  We predict a non-equilibrium phase transition between a local quorum sensing (LQS) regime at low dispersal, with AI signaling dynamics primarily controlled by the local population density of colonies, and a global quorum sensing (GQS) regime at high dispersal , with the dynamics being governed by the collective metapopulation density. In addition, we propose an observable order parameter for this system, termed the Neighbor Interference Fraction (NIF), which accounts for the ratio of neighbor-produced to self-produced signal at a colony. The transition between LQS to GQS is intimately connected to a tradeoff between the signaling network's latency, or speed of activation, and its throughput, or the total spatial range over which all the components of the system communicate .
After revision:  We predict a non-equilibrium phase transition between a local quorum sensing (LQS) regime at low dispersal, with AI signaling dynamics primarily controlled by the local population density of colonies, and a global quorum sensing (GQS) regime at high dispersal , with the dynamics being dependent on collective inter-colony diffusive interactions. The crossover between LQS to GQS is intimately connected to a tradeoff between the signaling network's latency, or speed of activation, and its throughput, or the total spatial range over which all the components of the system communicate .