Load size selection by foraging leaf‐cutter ants ( Atta cephalotes ) [PDF]
Ecological Entomology, 1986 ABSTRACT. Velocity of load‐carrying Atta cephalotes (L.) foragers increases with increasing ant size and decreasing load size.
RUDOLPH, SERI G, LOUDON, CATHERINE
openaire +3 more sources
New distributional records for ants and the evaluation of ant species richness and endemism patterns in Mexico [PDF]
Biodiversity Data Journal, 2021 Ants (Formicidae) in Mexico have been usually undersampled despite their ecological significance and their utility as service providers and bioindicators.
Mario J. Aguilar-Méndez +4 more
doaj +3 more sources
Distribution of Atta (Hymenoptera - Formicidae) in "terra-firme" rain forest of Central Amazonia: density, species composition and preliminary results on effects of forest fragmentation [PDF]
Acta Amazonica, 1988 One hundred and fourteen hectares of a "terra-fiirme" rain forest 70 km north of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, were surveyed for leaf-cutting ant colonies (Atta spp).
Heraldo Luís de Vasconcelos
doaj +1 more source
Microbial symbionts are shared between ants and their associated beetles
Environmental Microbiology, Volume 25, Issue 12, Page 3466-3483, December 2023., 2023 The colonies of army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae) are inhabited by hundreds of closely associated insect species (myrmecophiles). Here, we asked about the similarities in microbial community composition between ants and 13 species of myrmecophile beetles.
Catalina Valdivia +6 more
wiley +1 more source
Large deformation diffeomorphic mapping of 3D shape variation reveals two distinct mandible and head capsule morphs in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter worker ants. [PDF]
Ecol EvolAtta vollenweideri leaf‐cutter ant workers vary continously in size across more than two orders of magnitude in body mass. We investigated whether size‐variation correlates with shape variation by analysing the 3D morphology of mandibles and head capsules.
Imirzian N +3 more
europepmc +2 more sources
Three cuticular amides in the tripartite symbiosis of leafcutter ants
Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology, Volume 114, Issue 2, Page 1-13, October 2023., 2023 The heatmap points out three alkyl amides specific for leafcutter ants covered with symbiotic bacteria. These findings indicate an interspecific function of the described compounds within the ant−bacteria relationship. Abstract Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play various roles in insects' chemical ecology. As leafcutter ants live in a specific symbiosis
Johannes‐Paul Fladerer +2 more
wiley +1 more source
Ecology and Evolution, Volume 13, Issue 10, October 2023., 2023 We examine the predictability of gene family size changes in the pine tree specialist Neodiprion lecontei. Overall, our results are consistent with predictable gene family expansions and contractions in response to novel selection pressures. Abstract A central goal in evolutionary biology is to determine the predictability of adaptive genetic changes ...
Kim L. Vertacnik +7 more
wiley +1 more source
Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants [PDF]
, 2016 Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they proved to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest.
Arenas, Andres, Roces, Flavio
core +1 more source
Mechanical demands of bite in plane head shapes of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers
Ecology and Evolution, Volume 13, Issue 6, June 2023., 2023 To assess the role of head shape in stress patterns of Pheidole workers, we solve a set of finite element analyses while exploring variation in Pheidole worker head morphospace. Our results demonstrate that head shapes of majors show signs of optimization to deal with stronger bites given that stresses dissipate more evenly along the head than in ...
Cristian L. Klunk +3 more
wiley +1 more source
Leaf processing behaviour in Atta leafcutter ants: 90% of leaf cutting takes place inside the nest, and ants select pieces that require less cutting [PDF]
Royal Society Open Science, 2016 Leafcutter ants cut trimmings from plants, carry them to their underground nests and cut them into smaller pieces before inoculating them with a fungus that serves as a primary food source for the colony. Cutting is energetically costly, so the amount of
Ryan W. Garrett +5 more
doaj +1 more source