Spatio-temporal permanence and plasticity of foraging trails in young and mature leaf-cutting ant colonies (Atta spp.) [PDF]
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2005 The distribution and formation of foraging trails have largely been neglected as factors explaining harvesting patterns of leaf-cutting ants.We applied fractal analysis, circular, and conventional statistics to published and newly recorded trailmaps of ...
Amthor, A. M. +22 more
core +8 more sources
Morphophysiological differences between the metapleural glands of fungus-growing and non-fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2012 The metapleural gland is an organ exclusive to ants. Its main role is to produce secretions that inhibit the proliferation of different types of pathogens.
Alexsandro Santana Vieira +2 more
doaj +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
Susceptibility of Atta sexdens worker ants treated with the immunosuppressant Sandimmun Neoral to Metarhizium anisopliae [PDF]
Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, 2017 : The objective of this work was to evaluate if the immunosuppressant Sandimmun Neoral enhances the activity of Metarhizium anisopliae against the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens.
Aline Silvestre Pereira Dornelas +7 more
doaj +2 more sources
Sociobiology, 2023 Leaf-cutting ants manage their waste continuously to avoid risks of colony contamination. The presence of residues or their odor near foraging areas is enough for ants to stop attacking plant tissues.
Leandro Sousa-Souto +2 more
doaj +1 more source
Adaptive social immunity in leaf-cutting ants [PDF]
Biology Letters, 2009 Social insects have evolved a suite of sophisticated defences against parasites. In addition to the individual physiological immune response, social insects also express ‘social immunity’ consisting of group-level defences and behaviours that include allogrooming.
Walker, Tom N., Hughes, William O. H.
openaire +7 more sources
The dynamics of plant cell-wall polysaccharide decomposition in leaf-cutting ant fungus gardens. [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2011 The degradation of live plant biomass in fungus gardens of leaf-cutting ants is poorly characterised but fundamental for understanding the mutual advantages and efficiency of this obligate nutritional symbiosis.
Isabel E Moller +4 more
doaj +1 more source
How Do Leaf-Cutting Ants Recognize Antagonistic Microbes in Their Fungal Crops?
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2020 Leaf-cutting ants employ diverse behavioral strategies for promoting the growth of fungal cultivars in a structure known as fungus garden. As a nutritionally rich resource for the ants, the fungal crop is threatened by microbial antagonists and pathogens.
Aryel C. Goes +5 more
doaj +1 more source
Daily Foraging Activity of Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Leaf-cutting ants
Sociobiology, 2016 Leaf-cutting ants are well-known insects due to their remarkable activity as herbivores and the considerable economic damage they cause to many crops.
Mariane Aparecida Nickele +3 more
doaj +1 more source
Biocontrol of leucoagaricus gongylophorus of leaf-cutting ants with the mycoparasitic agent trichoderma koningiopsis [PDF]
, 2016 Leaf-cutting ants are one of the main agricultural and agroforestry pests in the Neotropic region. The essential food source of these ants is Leucoagaricus gongylophorus.
Bich, Gustavo Angel +3 more
core +1 more source