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1. Age polyethism in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus Forel, 1911 (Hym., Formicidae)

Author:
Camargo, R.S.; Forti, L.C.; Lopes, J.F.S.; Andrade, A.P.P.; Ottati, A.L.T.
Source:
Journal of applied entomology 2007 v.131 no.2 pp. 139-145
ISSN:
0931-2048
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus; brood rearing; foraging; fungus gardens; insect castes; leaf-cutting ants; longevity; polyethism; probability
Abstract:
... This study describes and quantifies the behavioural acts of two laboratory colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus by investigating worker age polyethism. Twenty-nine behavioural acts were recorded during the 19-week observation period. Young individuals performed tasks inside the nest related to brood care and care for the fungus garden, whereas older individuals performed activities outside ...
DOI:
10.1111/j.1439-0418.2006.01129.x

2. Appetitive and aversive learning of plants odors inside different nest compartments by foraging leaf-cutting ants

Author:
Andrés Arenas; Flavio Roces
Source:
Journal of insect physiology 2018 v.109 pp. 85-92
ISSN:
0022-1910
Subject:
Acromyrmex; Pyracantha coccinea; foraging; fungi; fungus gardens; insect physiology; leaf-cutting ants; learning; leaves; odors; paper; social insects
Abstract:
... Cues inside the nest provide social insect foragers with information about resources currently exploited that may influence their decisions outside. Leaf-cutting ants harvest leaf fragments that are either further processed as substrate for their symbiotic fungus, or disposed of if unsuitable. We investigated whether Acromyrmex ambiguus foragers develop learned preferences for olfactory cues they ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.07.001

3. Caste specialization in behavioral defenses against fungus garden parasites in Acromyrmex octospinosus leaf-cutting ants

Author:
Abramowski, D.; Currie, C. R.; Poulsen, M.
Source:
Insectes sociaux 2011 v.58 no.1 pp. 65-75
ISSN:
0020-1812
Subject:
Acromyrmex octospinosus; ant colonies; bacteria; brood rearing; chemical defenses; cultivars; foraging; fungi; fungus gardens; image analysis; leaf-cutting ants; parasites; parasitism; permeates; polyethism; scanning electron microscopy; social insects; spore germination; spores
Abstract:
... Division of labor and caste specialization plays an important role in many aspects of social insect colony organization, including parasite defense. Within leaf-cutting ant colonies, worker caste specialization permeates colony tasks ranging from foraging, substrate incorporation, brood care, and chemical defenses via glandular secretions and mutualistic bacteria. Leaf-cutting ants rely on protect ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00040-010-0117-y

4. Changes in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile associated with the molting cycle correlate with the hydrocarbon profile of the fungus cultivated by the ant Atta sexdens

Author:
L. Valadares; F. S. do Nascimento
Source:
Insectes sociaux 2017 v.64 no.4 pp. 591-596
ISSN:
0020-1812
Subject:
Atta sexdens; Basidiomycota; alkanes; chemical analysis; cultivars; developmental stages; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; molting; mutualism; rearing; social insects
Abstract:
... Leaf-cutting ants live in obligate mutualism with a basidiomycete fungus that they use as a rearing site and food resource. Chemical analyses of the fungus gardens kept by these ants have revealed the presence of hydrocarbons that also occur in the epicuticle of the ants. However, whether it is the fungus or the ants which are the ultimate producers of these compounds is not yet clear. To shed lig ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00040-017-0581-8

5. Chemical control of leaf-cutting ants: how do workers disperse toxic bait fragments onto fungus garden?

Author:
Gabriela C. Catalani; Kátia K.A. Sousa; Roberto S. da Camargo; Nadia Caldato; Carlos A.O. Matos; Luiz C. Forti
Source:
Revista Brasileira de entomologia 2019 v.63 no.4 pp. 290-295
ISSN:
0085-5626
Subject:
active ingredients; adenosine triphosphate; chemical control; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; mechanism of action; mitochondria; pellets; sodium channels; toxicity
Abstract:
... Leaf-cutting ants are controlled with toxic baits. For the method’s greater efficiency, the baits must be distributed and processed by workers during fungus cultivation. To test hypotheses whether the mode of action of the active ingredients, which blocks the sodium channels and interrupts the production of ATP in the mitochondria, interferes with fragment distribution in nests; the dispersion of ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.rbe.2019.09.004

6. Colony Dehydration and Water Collection by Specialized Caste in the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta Sexdens Rubropilosa

Author:
Ribeiro, Pedro Leite; Navas, Carlos A.
Source:
Journal of insect behavior 2008 v.21 no.6 pp. 549-558
ISSN:
0892-7553
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; adults; eggs; fungus gardens; humidity; insect behavior; larvae; leaf-cutting ants; longevity; morphs; silica gel; social structure
Abstract:
... Social organization enables leaf-cutting ants to keep appropriate micro-ecological nest conditions for the fungus garden (their main food), eggs, larvae and adults. To maintain stability while facing changing conditions, individual ants must perceive destabilising factors and produce a proper behavioral response. We investigated behavioral responses to experimental dehydration in leaf-cutting ants ...
DOI:
10.1007/s10905-008-9150-3

7. Comparative analysis of fungal communities in colonies of two leaf-cutting ant species with different substratum preferences

Author:
Jaqueline S. Pereira; Rafael R. Costa; Nilson S. Nagamoto; Luiz C. Forti; Fernando C. Pagnocca; Andre Rodrigues
Source:
Fungal ecology 2016 v.21 pp. 68-75
ISSN:
1754-5048
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; Penicillium citrinum; Trichoderma spirale; Trichosporon; ant colonies; cultivars; foraging; fungal communities; fungi; fungus gardens; gardens; leaf-cutting ants; Brazil
Abstract:
... Fungus gardens of leaf-cutting ants harbor diverse alien fungi in addition to their fungal cultivar. Previous work suggested that alien microorganisms are likely derived from the substrata foraged by ant workers and incorporated into the fungus gardens. To test this hypothesis, we sampled 1014 garden fragments from 16 field colonies of Atta sexdens rubropilosa (a dicot-cutting ant) and Atta capigu ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.funeco.2016.03.004

8. Comparative morpho-physiology of the metapleural glands of two Atta leaf-cutting ant queens nesting in clayish and organic soils

Author:
Alexsandro Santana Vieira; Maria Izabel Camargo-Mathias; Flavio Roces
Source:
Arthropod structure & development 2015 v.44 no.5 pp. 444-454
ISSN:
1467-8039
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; antibiotics; antiseptics; evolution; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; microorganisms; nesting; organic matter; organic soils; pathogens; queen insects; risk; soil depth; soil horizons
Abstract:
... Queens of leaf-cutting ants found their nests singly, each consisting of a vertical tunnel and a final horizontal chamber. Because of the claustral mode of nest founding, the queen and/or her initial fungus garden are exposed to threats imposed by several soil pathogens, and the antibiotic secretions produced by their metapleural glands are considered a main adaptation to deal with them. Nests of ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.asd.2015.06.005

9. Contamination Route of Leaf-Cutting Worker Ants Analyzed Through a Fat-Soluble Tracer Dye in Toxic Bait

Author:
L C Forti; R S Camargo; A P P Andrade; G C Catalani; K K A Sousa; A A C Silva; N Caldato; V M Ramos
Source:
Neotropical entomology 2019 v.48 no.2 pp. 349-355
ISSN:
1519-566X
Subject:
Acromyrmex; active ingredients; chemical control; dyes; fungal growth; fungus gardens; insecticides; laboratory experimentation; leaf-cutting ants; models; toxicity; worker ants
Abstract:
... Our study seeks to discover contamination routes of leaf-cutting worker ants during chemical control by formicide baits. To do so, toxic baits containing fat-soluble tracer dye were provided to colonies of three subspecies of Acromyrmex under laboratory conditions, in order to assess the proportion of dyed workers by size category, as well as dyed internal morphological structures. Results showed ...
DOI:
10.1007/s13744-018-0652-1

10. Digging effort in leaf-cutting ant queens (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) and its effects on survival and colony growth during the claustral phase

Author:
Camargo, R. S.; Forti, L. C.; Fujihara, R. T.; Roces, F.
Source:
Insectes sociaux 2011 v.58 no.1 pp. 17-22
ISSN:
0020-1812
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; energy expenditure; environmental factors; foraging; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; mortality; progeny; queen insects; social insects
Abstract:
... Nest foundation in the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens is claustral, and the single queen completely relies on its body reserves throughout, approximately, 9 weeks until the first workers emerge and initiate foraging. Nest digging is much time- and energy-consuming, and it is an open question how queens decide on the length of the tunnel they dig and therefore the depth of the initial chamber. Shall ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00040-010-0110-5

11. Disease defence through generations: leaf‐cutter ants and their symbiotic bacteria

Author:
Douglas C. Woodhams; Robert M. Brucker
Source:
Molecular ecology 2013 v.22 no.16 pp. 4141-4143
ISSN:
0962-1083
Subject:
Acromyrmex echinatior; Pseudonocardia; animals; bacteria; evolution; feathers; fungus gardening; fungus gardens; genetic variation; intestinal microorganisms; leaf-cutting ants; microbial ecology; microsymbionts; nuclear genome; nutrition; soil; symbiosis; vegetation
Abstract:
... Microbial ecology of animals is taking on significance in the modern dialogue for the biology of species. Similar to a nuclear genome, the entire bacterial assemblage maintains an ancestral signal of the host's evolution leading to cophylogeny between the host and the microbes they harbour (Brucker & Bordenstein 2012b). The stability of such associations is of great interest as they provide a mean ...
DOI:
10.1111/mec.12431

12. Dispersal of Attaphila fungicola, a symbiotic cockroach of leaf-cutter ants

Author:
Z. I. Phillips; M. M. Zhang; U. G. Mueller
Source:
Insectes sociaux 2017 v.64 no.2 pp. 277-284
ISSN:
0020-1812
Subject:
Atta texana; Blattodea; containers; females; flight; foraging; fungus gardens; gardens; leaf-cutting ants; males; reproductives; social insects; survival rate
Abstract:
... The myrmecophile cockroach Attaphila fungicola lives in the nests of leaf-cutter ants (Atta texana and A. cephalotes) and uses the female winged reproductives (i.e., female alates) of its host as vectors for the first phase of its dispersal. It is unknown whether A. fungicola remain with vectoring A. texana females after mating flights and throughout A. texana nest founding and subsequent colony d ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00040-016-0535-6

13. Do Workers from Subspecies Acromyrmex subterraneus Prepare Leaves and Toxic Baits in Similar Ways for Their Fungus Garden?

Author:
L. C. Forti; A. P. P. Andrade; K. K. A. Sousa; R. S. Camargo; C. A. O. Matos; N. Caldato; G. C. Catalani; V. M. Ramos
Source:
Neotropical entomology 2020 v.49 no.1 pp. 12-23
ISSN:
1519-566X
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus; Eucalyptus; forests; fungus gardens; insect control; insecticides; jaws; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; pellets; toxicity
Abstract:
... Toxic baits are the most efficient method to control leaf-cutter ants in eucalyptus forests for paper and cellulose production. For the proper use of these baits, insecticide compounds must reach workers and contaminate them. Thus, understanding how these baits are processed inside the nests is vital for a successful control, especially when it comes to genus Acromyrmex. Lack of information on tox ...
DOI:
10.1007/s13744-019-00708-2

14. Effects of cycloheximide on the mortality of Atta sexdens leaf-cutting worker ants

Author:
Kátia Kaelly Andrade Sousa; Roberto da Silva Camargo; Luiz Carlos Forti; Nadia Caldato
Source:
Revista Brasileira de entomologia 2018 v.62 no.3 pp. 169-171
ISSN:
0085-5626
Subject:
Atta sexdens; cycloheximide; diet; forage; fungi; fungicides; fungus gardens; ingestion; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; mortality; nutrient requirements; pulp; toxicity; worker ants
Abstract:
... Leaf-cutting ants live symbiotically with a fungus that they cultivate on the plant leaves that they cut. The innumerous studies on the plant selection mechanism used by leaf-cutting ants show the researchers’ interest in this issue. Many classical studies propose that plants are selected according to the fungus garden nutritional needs and the absence of potentially harmful substances. This hypot ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.rbe.2018.04.002

15. Effects of entomopathogenic fungi on the mortality and immune system of the leaf‐cutting ant Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus

Author:
Joel da Cruz Couceiro; Wesler Luiz Marcelino; Karina Dias Amaral; Lailla Cristina Gandra; Danival José de Souza; Terezinha Maria Castro Della Lucia
Source:
Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 2016 v.161 no.2 pp. 152-159
ISSN:
0013-8703
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus; Actinobacteria; Aspergillus ochraceus; Metarhizium anisopliae; antibiotics; bacteria; bioassays; conidia; encapsulation; entomopathogenic fungi; fungus gardens; immune response; immune system; immunosuppression; innate immunity; insect immunity; leaf-cutting ants; mortality; parasites
Abstract:
... Acromyrmex leaf‐cutting ants use the antibiotics produced by ectosymbionts (Actinobacteria) to suppress the growth of Escovopsis spp., which are the specialized parasites of attine fungus gardens. However, the spectrum of activity of these bacteria and their interactions with insect immune systems have not been thoroughly studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of ...
DOI:
10.1111/eea.12500

16. Effects of substrate, ant and fungal species on plant fiber degradation in a fungus-gardening ant symbiosis

Author:
Alexandria M. DeMilto; Monte Rouquette; Ulrich G. Mueller; Katrin Kellner; Jon N. Seal
Source:
Journal of insect physiology 2017 v.98 pp. 301-308
ISSN:
0022-1910
Subject:
Acromyrmex; Atta texana; Leucoagaricus; Trachymyrmex septentrionalis; digestion; endo-1,4-beta-glucanase; flowers; frass; fungi; fungus gardening; fungus gardens; garden residues; hemicellulose; insect physiology; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; lignocellulose; pectins; plant fibers; plant tissues; solid wastes; starch; symbionts; symbiosis; waste composition
Abstract:
... Fungus-gardening or attine ants have outsourced most of their digestive function to a symbiotic fungus. The ants feed their fungus – essentially an external digestive organ – a variety of substrates of botanical origin, including fresh and dried flowers, leaves and insect frass (processed leaves). Although plant tissues are rich in fibers (lignocelluloses, hemicelluloses, pectins and starches) and ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.02.001

17. Escovopsis trichodermoides sp. nov., isolated from a nest of the lower attine ant Mycocepurus goeldii

Author:
Virginia E. Masiulionis; Marta N. Cabello; Keith A. Seifert; Andre Rodrigues; Fernando C. Pagnocca
Source:
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2015 v.107 no.3 pp. 731-740
ISSN:
0003-6072
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus; Atta; DNA barcoding; Mycocepurus goeldii; Trachymyrmex; conidia; conidiophores; fungi; fungus gardens; internal transcribed spacers; leaf-cutting ants; new species; phylogeny; ribosomal DNA; species diversity; Brazil; Trinidad and Tobago
Abstract:
... Currently, five species are formally described in Escovopsis, a specialized mycoparasitic genus of fungus gardens of attine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: tribe Attini). Four species were isolated from leaf-cutting ants in Brazil, including Escovopsis moelleri and Escovopsis microspora from nests of Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans, Escovopsis weberi from a nest of Atta sp. and Escovopsis lentecr ...
DOI:
10.1007/s10482-014-0367-1

18. Forage collection, substrate preparation, and diet composition in fungus-growing ants

Author:
DE FINE LICHT, HENRIK H.; BOOMSMA, JACOBUS J.
Source:
Ecological entomology 2010 v.35 no.3 pp. 259-269
ISSN:
0307-6946
Subject:
Apterostigma; Cyphomyrmex rimosus; artificial selection; coevolution; crops; diet; flowers; forage; frass; fungus gardens; hulls; humans; insect colonies; leaf-cutting ants; nectar; plant litter; rearing; seeds; subsistence farming; vegetation; yeasts
Abstract:
... 1. Variation and control of nutritional input is an important selective force in the evolution of mutualistic interactions and may significantly affect coevolutionary modifications in partner species. 2. The attine fungus-growing ants are a tribe of more than 230 described species (12 genera) that use a variety of different substrates to manure the symbiotic fungus they cultivate inside the nest. ...
DOI:
10.1111/j.1365-2311.2010.01193.x

19. Foraging for the fungus: why do Acromyrmex subterraneus (Formicidae) queens need to forage during the nest foundation phase?

Author:
Tatiane A. Sales; Antônio M. O. Toledo; Arthur Zimerer; Juliane F. S. Lopes
Source:
Ecological entomology 2021 v.46 no.6 pp. 1364-1372
ISSN:
0307-6946
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus; body weight; entomology; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; lipid content; lipids; oviposition; prices; progeny; symbionts; water content; weight loss
Abstract:
... 1. Semiclaustral ant queens must pay the price of foraging to guarantee their survival and also that of their brood through the nest foundation phase. For leaf‐cutting ant species, the challenge is even greater, as they also need to cultivate their symbiont fungus. 2. We hypothesised that suppressing foraging activity could reflect in larger offspring and higher survival, as queens would be entire ...
DOI:
10.1111/een.13083

20. Fungal communities in gardens of the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes in forest and cabruca agrosystems of southern Bahia State (Brazil)

Author:
Bárbara Monique dos Santos Reis; Aline Silva; Martín Roberto Alvarez; Tássio Brito de Oliveira; Andre Rodrigues
Source:
Fungal biology 2015 v.119 no.12 pp. 1170-1178
ISSN:
1878-6146
Subject:
Atta cephalotes; Trichoderma spirale; ant colonies; community structure; foraging; fungal communities; fungi; fungus gardens; gardens; habitats; leaf-cutting ants; ordination techniques; rain forests; shade agroforestry systems; symbionts; Brazil
Abstract:
... Leaf-cutting ants interact with several fungi in addition to the fungal symbiont they cultivate for food. Here, we assessed alien fungal communities in colonies of Atta cephalotes. Fungus garden fragments were sampled from colonies in the Atlantic Rainforest and in a cabruca agrosystem in the state of Bahia (Brazil) in two distinct periods to evaluate whether differences in nest habitat influence ...
DOI:
10.1016/j.funbio.2015.09.001

21. Fungal communities in the garden chamber soils of leaf‐cutting ants

Author:
Andre Rodrigues; Michel R. Z. Passarini; Milene Ferro; Nilson S. Nagamoto; Luiz C. Forti; Maurício Bacci Jr.; Lara D. Sette; Fernando C. Pagnocca
Source:
Journal of basic microbiology 2014 v.54 no.11 pp. 1186-1196
ISSN:
0233-111X
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; Clavariaceae; Penicillium janthinellum; Plectania; Trichoderma spirale; community structure; environmental impact; fungal communities; fungus gardens; gardens; internal transcribed spacers; leaf-cutting ants; soil fungi; soil structure; species diversity; transcription (genetics); Brazil
Abstract:
... Leaf‐cutting ants modify the properties of the soil adjacent to their nests. Here, we examined whether such an ant‐altered environment impacts the belowground fungal communities. Fungal diversity and community structure of soil from the fungus garden chambers of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Atta bisphaerica, two widespread leaf‐cutting ants in Brazil, were determined and compared with non‐nest soi ...
DOI:
10.1002/jobm.201200458

22. Growth and enzymatic activity of Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a mutualistic fungus isolated from the leaf‐cutting ant Atta mexicana, on cellulose and lignocellulosic biomass

Author:
G. Vigueras; D. Paredes‐Hernández; S. Revah; J. Valenzuela; R. Olivares‐Hernández; S. Le Borgne
Source:
Letters in applied microbiology 2017 v.65 no.2 pp. 173-181
ISSN:
0266-8254
Subject:
Atta; Leucoagaricus; agar; carbon; carbon dioxide; carbon dioxide production; carboxymethylcellulose; endo-1,4-beta-glucanase; enzyme activity; fungi; fungus gardens; glucose; grasses; hyphae; internal transcribed spacers; leaf-cutting ants; lignocellulose; microbial biomass; phylogeny; sequence analysis; solid state culture; sugarcane bagasse
Abstract:
... A mutualistic fungus of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta mexicana was isolated and identified as Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. This isolate had a close phylogenetic relationship with L. gongylophorus fungi cultivated by other leaf‐cutting ants as determined by ITS sequencing. A subcolony started with ~500 A. mexicana workers could process 2 g day⁻¹ of plant material and generate a 135 cm³ fungus garden in ...
DOI:
10.1111/lam.12759

23. The Leaf-Cutting ant Atta Sexdens rubropilosa, FOREL, 1908 Prefers Drier Chambers for Garbage Disposal

Author:
Ribeiro, Pedro Leite; Navas, Carlos A.
Source:
Journal of insect behavior 2007 v.20 no.1 pp. 19-24
ISSN:
0892-7553
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; food availability; fungi; fungus gardens; gardens; humidity; insect behavior; leaf-cutting ants; municipal solid waste
Abstract:
... Leave cutting ants rely on a fungus garden as their main food supply. This garden produces debris that must be disposed by workers, as it may favor the contamination of the fungus. We assumed that the growth of undesired microorganisms on garbage would increase with humidity, therefore drier areas should be more suitable for garbage disposal. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that leave-cuttin ...
DOI:
10.1007/s10905-006-9052-1

24. Mechanism of leaf‐cutting ant colony suppression by fipronil used in attractive toxic baits

Author:
Lailla C Gandra; Karina D Amaral; Joel C Couceiro; Terezinha MC Della Lucia; Raul NC Guedes
Source:
Pest management science 2016 v.72 no.8 pp. 1475-1481
ISSN:
1526-498X
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus; Eucalyptus; ant colonies; baits; charcoal; fipronil; foraging; forests; fungus gardens; grooming (animal behavior); insecticidal properties; insecticides; leaf-cutting ants; paper; planting; progeny; pulp; sublethal effects; tropics
Abstract:
... BACKGROUND: Attractive toxic baits are the prevailing method for managing leaf‐cutting ants in the eucalypt forests planted for the production of pulp, paper, timber and charcoal. For successful use in these baits, the insecticidal compounds need to circumvent the typical defences of the eusocial leaf‐cutting ants. The challenge is to have an insecticide in the bait that will not directly harm and ...
DOI:
10.1002/ps.4239

25. Microbial Communities in Different Tissues of Atta sexdens rubropilosa Leaf-cutting Ants

Author:
Alexsandro S. Vieira; Manuela O. Ramalho; Cintia Martins; Vanderlei G. Martins; Odair C. Bueno
Source:
Current microbiology 2017 v.74 no.10 pp. 1216-1225
ISSN:
0343-8651
Subject:
Actinomycetales; Atta sexdens rubropilosa; Bacillales; Burkholderiales; Clostridiales; Enterobacteriales; Entomoplasmatales; Lactobacillales; Syntrophobacterales; bacteria; evolution; fungi; fungus gardens; immune response; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; microbial communities; microsymbionts; midgut; nutrition; parasitism; symbiosis
Abstract:
... Bacterial endosymbionts are common in all insects, and symbiosis has played an integral role in ant evolution. Atta sexdens rubropilosa leaf-cutting ants cultivate their symbiotic fungus using fresh leaves. They need to defend themselves and their brood against diseases, but they also need to defend their obligate fungus gardens, their primary food source, from infection, parasitism, and usurpatio ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00284-017-1307-x

26. Nest architecture of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex rugosus rugosus

Author:
Verza, S. S.; Forti, L. C.; Lopes, J. F. S.; Hughes, W. O. H.
Source:
Insectes sociaux 2007 v.54 no.4 pp. 303-309
ISSN:
0020-1812
Subject:
Acromyrmex; cement; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; social insects; soil; talc; wastes
Abstract:
... The prominent nests mounds of many ant species are one of the most obvious signs of their presence, yet the subterranean architecture of nests is often poorly known. The present work aimed to establish the external and internal structure of nests of a species of leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex rugosus rugosus, by either marking the interior of nests with talcum powder, or forming casts with cement. T ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00040-007-0943-8

27. Pathogenic nature of Syncephalastrum in Atta sexdens rubropilosa fungus gardens

Author:
Mariana O Barcoto; Felipe Pedrosa; Odair C Bueno; Andre Rodrigues
Source:
Pest management science 2017 v.73 no.5 pp. 999-1009
ISSN:
1526-498X
Subject:
Atta sexdens rubropilosa; Neotropics; Syncephalastrum; biological control; cultivars; death; entomopathogenic fungi; foraging; fungus gardens; herbivores; insecticides; integrated pest management; leaf-cutting ants; morbidity; mortality; pests; wastes; worker ants
Abstract:
... BACKGROUND: Leaf‐cutter ants are considered to be a major herbivore and agricultural pest in the Neotropics. They are often controlled by environmentally persistent insecticides. Biological control using pathogenic fungi is regarded as an alternative for the management of these insects. Here, we assess whether the filamentous fungus Syncephalastrum sp. is a pathogenic microorganism responsible for ...
DOI:
10.1002/ps.4416

28. Plant Selection and Foraging Patterns in Two Species of Leaf‐Cutting Ants (Atta)

Author:
Larry L. Rockwood
Source:
Ecology 1976 v.57 no.1 pp. 48-61
ISSN:
0012-9658
Subject:
Atta cephalotes; Atta colombica; chemistry; correlation; defoliation; energy; foraging; fungus gardens; host plants; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; nutrients; probability; Costa Rica
Abstract:
... Three colonies each of two species of leaf—cutting ants (Atta colombica Guer. and Atta cephalotes L.) were studied for 1 yr in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica to determine the following: (1) Do colonies of Atta cut leaves from a limited number of species (i.e., are they selective)? (2) What determines which plant species are attacked? (3) Do leaf—cutters optimize foraging in terms of energy ...
DOI:
10.2307/1936397

29. Queen lipid content and nest growth in the leaf cutting ant (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Author:
Roberto da Silva Camargo; Luiz Carlos Forti
Source:
Journal of natural history 2013 v.47 no.1-2 pp. 65-73
ISSN:
1464-5262
Subject:
Atta sexdens; ant nests; biomass; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; lipid content; lipids; population size; progeny
Abstract:
... The relationship between the queens’ lipid content and nest growth (population size, biomass and nest architecture) was studied from founding up to 1 year. Nests aged 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 12 months were dug in the field, and their dimensions were measured. The ant nest population and fungus garden was also collected. The sample was taken to the laboratory where we counted the worker population and we ...
DOI:
10.1080/00222933.2012.738836

30. Queens of the inquiline social parasite Acromyrmex insinuator can join nest-founding queens of its host, the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior

Author:
J. Howe; M. Schiøtt; J. J. Boomsma
Source:
Insectes sociaux 2021 v.68 no.2-3 pp. 255-260
ISSN:
0020-1812
Subject:
Acromyrmex echinatior; Acromyrmex insinuator; fungi; fungus gardens; labor force; leaf-cutting ants; parasites; reproduction
Abstract:
... Queens of the inquiline social parasite Acromyrmex insinuator are known to infiltrate mature colonies of Acromyrmex echinatior and to exploit the host’s perennial workforce by producing predominantly reproductive individuals while suppressing host reproduction. Here we report three cases of an A. insinuator queen having joined an incipient colony of A. echinatior that contained only the founding h ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00040-021-00819-3

31. Recruitment of minor workers for defense against a specialized parasite of Atta leaf-cutting ant fungus gardens

Author:
A.T. Gerstner; M. Poulsen; C.R. Currie
Source:
Ethology, ecology & evolution 2011 v.23 no.1 pp. 61-75
ISSN:
1828-7131
Subject:
fungus gardens; cultivars; parasites; weed control; spores; mycelium; leaf-cutting ants; social insects; social structure; gardens; Atta cephalotes; pathogens; fungi
Abstract:
... Social insects that obligately depend on mutualists are known to defend both themselves and their partners from exploitation. One example is leaf-cutting ants, which defend the mutualistic fungus they cultivate for food from potentially virulent specialized microfungal parasites (genus Escovopsis). Mechanisms employed by the ants to reduce the impact of Escovopsis include grooming the mycelium of ...
DOI:
10.1080/03949370.2010.529828

32. Sex allocation in the polydomous leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex balzani

Author:
Ichinose, Katsuya; Forti, Luis C.; Pretto, Denis R.; Nachman, Gösta; Boomsma, Jacobus J.
Source:
Ecological research 2007 v.22 no.2 pp. 288-295
ISSN:
0912-3814
Subject:
Acromyrmex; adults; females; foraging; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; males; pastures; regression analysis; sex allocation; Brazil
Abstract:
... Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse sex allocation in a population of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex balzani occurring in a pasture in southern Brazil. The field sample consisted of 151 fungus-garden chambers (18 queenright and 133 queenless), belonging to 50 nests with three vertically stacked chambers per nest on average. Taking nest chamber as the unit of analysis, seven predictor ...
DOI:
10.1007/s11284-006-0063-3

33. Social Organization and Subcaste Specialization in the Leaf-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex subterraneus (Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Author:
Ana C. Calheiros; Mariane U. V. Ronque; Paulo S. Oliveira
Source:
Journal of insect behavior 2019 v.32 no.4-6 pp. 267-280
ISSN:
0892-7553
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus; Atta; ant colonies; brood rearing; cerrado; foraging; fungus gardening; fungus gardens; insect castes; labor; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; polyethism; savannas; social structure
Abstract:
... Several worker subcastes may occur in ant colonies, including physiological, morphological, and temporal subcastes. Leaf-cutting ants present intricate division of labor among worker subcastes during brood care, fungus garden maintenance, substrate foraging and processing. For colony survival, the fungus garden must be healthy, and tasks efficiently shared among worker subcastes. Therefore, worker ...
DOI:
10.1007/s10905-019-09729-6

34. Social interactions between fungus garden and external workers of Atta sexdens (Linnaeus) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Author:
F. G. Lacerda; T. M. C. Della Lucia; O. Desouza; O. L. Pereira; M. C. M. Kasuya; L. M. De Souza; J. C. Couceiro; D. J. De Souza
Source:
Italian journal of zoology 2014 v.81 no.2 pp. 298-303
ISSN:
1748-5851
Subject:
Atta sexdens; Trichoderma; aggression; antagonists; avoidance behavior; fungi; fungus gardens; gardens; grooming (animal behavior); leaf-cutting ants; mortality; pathogens; risk; social insects; spores; wastes; weeds
Abstract:
... Social insects can live in densely populated colonies where mortality risks are increased by inter-individual transmission of pathogens. Thus, diverse strategies are employed against such infection risks, including the display of sophisticated behavioural traits. Considering that the waste of the leaf-cutting ant contains pathogens, worker ants that tend the fungus garden – here called fungus gard ...
DOI:
10.1080/11250003.2014.911369

35. Soil actinobacteria inhibit antagonistic fungi of leafcutter ant colonies

Author:
Mariela O. do Nascimento; Amanda C. Teles Tenório; Renato A. Sarmento; Rita de Cássia C. Melo; Terezinha Maria Castro Della Lucia; Karina Dias Amaral; Danival J. de Souza
Source:
Journal of basic microbiology 2022 v.62 no.1 pp. 63-73
ISSN:
0233-111X
Subject:
Atta sexdens; Kitasatospora; Nocardia; Streptomyces; antibiotics; energy costs; fungi; fungus gardens; genes; leaf-cutting ants; metabolites; mortality; risk factors; soil; symbiosis
Abstract:
... Founder females of the leaf‐cutting ant species Atta sexdens experience high mortality during the founding and establishment of their colonies. The foundation site is crucial for the success of a new colony. In this study, we isolated and identified actinobacteria from fungus garden chambers of A. sexdens colony growth in soils from (1) forested areas without leafcutter ant nests and (2) open grou ...
DOI:
10.1002/jobm.202100476

36. Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in the Fungus Gardens of Leaf-Cutter Ants

Author:
Pinto-Tomás, Adrián A.; Anderson, Mark A.; Suen, Garret; Stevenson, David M.; Chu, Fiona S.T.; Cleland, W. Wallace; Weimer, Paul J.; Currie, Cameron R.
Source:
Science 2009 v.326 no.5956 pp. 1120-1123
ISSN:
0036-8075
Subject:
acetylene reduction; ant colonies; biomass; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; nitrogen; nitrogen fixation; nitrogen-fixing bacteria; stable isotopes; symbiosis; terrestrial ecosystems; tropics; Argentina; Costa Rica; Panama
Abstract:
... Bacteria-mediated acquisition of atmospheric N₂ serves as a critical source of nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems. Here we reveal that symbiotic nitrogen fixation facilitates the cultivation of specialized fungal crops by leaf-cutter ants. By using acetylene reduction and stable isotope experiments, we demonstrated that N₂ fixation occurred in the fungus gardens of eight leaf-cutter ant species an ...
DOI:
10.1126/science.1173036

37. Use of Seeds as Fungus Garden Substrate Changes the Organization of Labor Among Leaf-Cutting Ant Workers

Author:
I N Hastenreiter; T A Sales; R S Camargo; L C Forti; J F S Lopes
Source:
Neotropical entomology 2015 v.44 no.4 pp. 351-356
ISSN:
1519-566X
Subject:
Acromyrmex subterraneus; fungi; fungus gardens; grape seeds; grapes; guavas; head; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; models; seeds
Abstract:
... Seeds of different plant species constitute an alternative but also significant substrate that leaf-cutting ants use to cultivate their fungus garden. However, how they are processed inside the nest and if their use implies differential allocation of worker size classes are still poorly known. Using laboratory colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus (Forel) as a model, the behaviors related to the pro ...
DOI:
10.1007/s13744-015-0299-0

38. Variation in nest morphology, queen oviposition rates, and fungal species present in incipient colonies of the leaf-cutter ant Atta sexdens

Author:
Aldenise Alves Moreira; Luiz Carlos Forti; Roberto da Silva Camargo; Nilson Satoru Nagamoto; Nadia Caldato; Maria Aparecida Castellani; Vania Maria Ramos
Source:
Tropical zoology 2019 v.32 no.2 pp. 107-117
ISSN:
1970-9528
Subject:
Atta sexdens; environmental factors; fungi; fungus gardens; humidity; leaf-cutting ants; oviposition; parasites; soil types; temperature; vigor
Abstract:
... The success of incipient colonies of leaf-cutter ants depends on multiple factors such as temperature, humidity, soil type, the queen’s fertility and vigor, frequency of harmful microfungi, among others. Based on this observation, three factors related to Atta sexdens were characterized: (1) initial nest morphology (depth and volume); (2) queen oviposition rate; and (3) prevalence of Escovopsis (p ...
DOI:
10.1080/03946975.2019.1603622

39. A Volatile Semiochemical Released by the Fungus Garden of Leaf-Cutting Ants

Author:
K. K. A. Sousa; G. C. Catalani; T. M. R. Gianeti; R. S. Camargo; N. Caldato; V. M. Ramos; L. C. Forti
Source:
Florida entomologist 2020 v.103 no.1 pp. 1-8
ISSN:
1938-5102
Subject:
Formicidae; citrus pulp; forage; foraging; fungi; fungicides; fungus gardens; health status; leaf-cutting ants; nutrient requirements; semiochemicals; symbiosis; volatile compounds
Abstract:
... The symbiosis between fungi and leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has aroused the interest of researchers about the mechanism used by ants to select plants. The nutritional needs of the fungus garden, and the absence of potentially deleterious substances from plants, are criteria for selection by foraging workers. This is supported by behavioral experiments using fungicide with baits (ci ...
DOI:
10.1653/024.103.0401

40. Waste management in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior: the role of worker size, age and plasticity

Author:
Waddington, Sarah J.; Hughes, William O. H.
Source:
Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 2010 v.64 no.8 pp. 1219-1228
ISSN:
0340-5443
Subject:
Acromyrmex echinatior; animals; color; forage; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; pathogens; polyethism; probability; toxins; waste management; wastes
Abstract:
... Division of labour is the hallmark of the success of many social animals. It may be especially important with regard to waste management because waste often contains pathogens or hazardous toxins and worker specialisation can reduce the number of group members exposed to it. Here we examine waste management in a fungus-farming, leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex echinatior, in which waste management is ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00265-010-0936-x

41. What is the stimulus for the excavation of fungus chamber in leaf-cutting ants?

Author:
Roberto da Silva Camargo; Luiz Carlos Forti
Source:
Acta ethologica 2015 v.18 no.1 pp. 31-35
ISSN:
0873-9749
Subject:
Atta sexdens; fungi; fungus gardens; insect behavior; larvae; leaf-cutting ants; pupae; soil; worker insects
Abstract:
... This study investigated the stimulus for the excavation of fungus chamber by leaf-cutting ants (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) during nest building. Thus, it was hypothesized that the fungus garden or the brood is a stimulus for excavating the chamber. Therefore, four treatments were designed: treatment 1, fixed number of workers (30), without the fungus garden and brood; treatment 2, fixed number of w ...
DOI:
10.1007/s10211-014-0181-9

42. Yeasts found on an ephemeral reproductive caste of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa

Author:
Silvio Lovato Arcuri; Fernando Carlos Pagnocca; Weilan Gomes da Paixão Melo; Nilson Satoru Nagamoto; Dirce Leimi Komura; Andre Rodrigues
Source:
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2014 v.106 no.3 pp. 475-487
ISSN:
0003-6072
Subject:
Atta sexdens; Aureobasidium pullulans; Rhodotorula; biomass; endo-1,4-beta-glucanase; flight; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants; males; metabolism; oligosaccharides; polygalacturonase; soil; symbiosis; xylanases; yeasts
Abstract:
... Winged males of leaf-cutting ants are considered an ephemeral reproductive caste only produced before the mating flight season. Although much is known about the yeast diversity found in fungus gardens of attine ants, no study has focused on the yeasts associated with males of leaf-cutting ants. Here, we surveyed the yeasts on the integuments of males of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and assessed their ...
DOI:
10.1007/s10482-014-0216-2
PubMed:
25012689

43. The origin of the chemical profiles of fungal symbionts and their significance for nestmate recognition in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants

Author:
Freddie-Jeanne Richard; Michael Poulsen; Abraham Hefetz; Christine Errard; David R. Nash; Jacobus J. Boomsma
Source:
Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 2007 v.61 no.11 pp. 1637-1649
ISSN:
0340-5443
Subject:
Acromyrmex echinatior; Acromyrmex octospinosus; acetates; aggression; aldehydes; alkanes; amides; amplified fragment length polymorphism; biochemical polymorphism; formates; fungi; fungus gardens; genetic distance; genetic variation; insect colonies; leaf-cutting ants; multivariate analysis; nestmate recognition; rearing; symbionts
Abstract:
... Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles are essential for nestmate recognition in insect societies, and quantitative variation in these recognition cues is both environmentally and genetically determined. Environmental cues are normally derived from food or nest material, but an exceptional situation may exist in the fungus-growing ants where the symbiotic fungus garden may be an independent source of reco ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00265-007-0395-1

44. The prominent role of fungi and fungal enzymes in the ant–fungus biomass conversion symbiosis

Author:
L. Lange; M. N. Grell
Source:
Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2014 v.98 no.11 pp. 4839-4851
ISSN:
0175-7598
Subject:
Acromyrmex; Atta; Leucoagaricus; ant colonies; biomass; cell walls; cellulose; enzymes; evolution; feeds; fungi; fungus gardens; genes; leaf-cutting ants; leaves; microbial growth; nutrition; proteins; symbiosis
Abstract:
... Molecular studies have added significantly to understanding of the role of fungi and fungal enzymes in the efficient biomass conversion, which takes place in the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants. It is now clear that the fungal symbiont expresses the full spectrum of genes for degrading cellulose and other plant cell wall polysaccharides. Since the start of the genomics era, numerous interesting ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00253-014-5708-5
PubMed:
24728757

45. The role of chemical signalling in maintenance of the fungus garden by leaf-cutting ants

Author:
P. W. C. Green; P. W. Kooij
Source:
Chemoecology 2018 v.28 no.3 pp. 101-107
ISSN:
0937-7409
Subject:
Formicidae; chemical communication; chemistry; foraging; fungi; fungus gardens; leaf-cutting ants
Abstract:
... How foraging trails are formed and the chemical communication between individual ants is well known. However, communication between partners in mutualistic relationships, such as the leaf-cutting ants (LCA) and their symbiotic fungus, is less studied. There is a feedback mechanism that operates in LCA colonies, with the fungus garden communicating its condition to the ants, most probably using che ...
DOI:
10.1007/s00049-018-0260-x