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opencc-by-4.0Oct 2019View details →

Fig. 2 in Chemical control of leaf-cutting ants: how do workers disperse toxic bait fragments onto fungus garden?

Fig. 2. Pellet fragment distribution onto the fungus garden, with and without active ingredients. A2, B2, C2: fragment distribution with ultraviolet light. A1 and A2: pellets without active ingredient. B1 and B2: pellets with sulfluramid. C1 and C2: pellets with with different action modes. A1, B1, C1: fragment distribution without ultraviolet light indoxacarb. Treatment followed the same letter is not significantly different.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2016View details →

Fig. 3 in The trade-off between the transmission of chemical cues and parasites: behavioral interactions between leaf-cutting ant workers of different age classes

Fig. 3. Mean ± s.e. frequencies that young and old ants were observed giving or receiving allogrooming during a 15 s observation period.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2016View details →

Fig. 2 in The trade-off between the transmission of chemical cues and parasites: behavioral interactions between leaf-cutting ant workers of different age classes

Fig. 2. Mean ± s.e. frequencies that young and old ants were: (a) observed selfgrooming and (b) observed engaged in mandible scraping with another ant, during a 15 s observation period.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2016View details →

Fig. 1 in The trade-off between the transmission of chemical cues and parasites: behavioral interactions between leaf-cutting ant workers of different age classes

Fig. 1. Overall activity levels. Mean ± s.e. frequencies that young and old ants were: (a) observed engaging in one of the focal behaviors and (b) observed engaged in antennation with another ant, during a 15 s observation period.

Fig. 2 in A volatile semiochemical released by the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants

Fig. 2. Olfactometer model used in the experiment of ant responses to healthy or unhealthy fungus in the Y-shaped choice system.

Fig. 2 in Seasonal parasitism of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest ecotone

Fig. 2. Correlation between temperature and the number of leaf-cutting ants Atta sexdens parasitized by Apocephalus attophilus (r = −0.722; df = 9; P <0.05).

Fig. 1 in Seasonal parasitism of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest ecotone

Fig. 1. Number of leaf-cutting ants Atta sexdens parasitized by Apocephalus attophilus and Eibesfeldtphora tonhascai in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest ecotone. The seasons are as follows: spring (Sep–Nov), summer (Dec–Feb), fall (Mar–May), and winter (Jun–Aug).

Fig. 4. A in A volatile semiochemical released by the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants

Fig. 4. A: Mean percent area and standard deviation (confidence interval) of volatiles emited by the fungus; B: healthy fungus and fungus with cycloheximide for 7 d; C: healthy fungus and fungus with cycloheximide for 14 d.

Fig. 1. Fungus garden. A in A volatile semiochemical released by the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants

Fig. 1. Fungus garden. A: Fungus healthy; B: fungus with incorporation of pellets with cycloheximide on d 7 of the experiment; and C: fungus on d 14 of the experiment.

Fig. 6 in A volatile semiochemical released by the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants

Fig. 6. Means and confidence interval of disks transported containing healthy and unhealthy fungus extract into the colony.

Fig. 5 in A volatile semiochemical released by the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants

Fig. 5. Percent and confidence interval of ant choice in the Y-shaped choice system. A: Chamber with healthy fungus and chamber without fungus; B: chamber with healthy fungus and chamber without healthy fungus; C: chamber containing fungus with cycloheximide for 7 d and chamber without fungus; D: chamber with healthy fungus and chamber containing fungus with cycloheximide for 7 d; E: chamber containing fungus with cycloheximide for 14 d and chamber without fungus; F: chamber with healthy fungus and chamber containing fungus with cycloheximide for 14 d.

Fig. 3 in A volatile semiochemical released by the fungus garden of leaf-cutting ants

Fig. 3. Volatiles emited by the fungus. A: Healthy fungus; B: fungus without cycloheximide for 7 d; C: fungus without cycloheximide for 14 d; D: fungus with cycloheximide for 7 d; E: fungus with cycloheximide for 14 d.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Recognition of endophytic Trichoderma species by leaf-cutting ants and their potential in a Trojan-horse management strategy

Interactions between leaf-cutting ants, their fungal symbiont (Leucoagaricus) and the endophytic fungi within the vegetation they carry into their colonies are still poorly understood. If endophytes antagonistic to Leucoagaricus were found in plant material being carried by these ants, then this might indicate a potential mechanism for plants to defend themselves from leaf-cutter attack. In addition, it could offer possibilities for the management of these important Neotropical pests. Here, we show that, for Atta sexdens rubropilosa, there was a significantly greater incidence of Trichoderma species in the vegetation removed from the nests—and deposited around the entrances—than in that being transported into the nests. In a no-choice test, Trichoderma-infested rice was taken into the nest, with deleterious effects on both the fungal gardens and ant survival. The endophytic ability of selected strains of Trichoderma was also confirmed, following their inoculation and subsequent reisolation from seedlings of eucalyptus. These results indicate that endophytic fungi which pose a threat to ant fungal gardens through their antagonistic traits, such as Trichoderma, have the potential to act as bodyguards of their plant hosts and thus might be employed in a Trojan-horse strategy to mitigate the negative impact of leaf-cutting ants in both agriculture and silviculture in the Neotropics. We posit that the ants would detect and evict such 'malign' endophytes—artificially inoculated into vulnerable crops—during the quality-control process within the nest, and, moreover, that the foraging ants may then be deterred from further harvesting of 'Trichoderma-enriched' plants.

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →

Data from: Tree seedling responses to leaf-cutting ants herbivory in Atlantic Forest restoration sites

Leaf-cutting ants (LCA) are generalist herbivores capable of causing severe plant damage. Negative impacts of ant herbivory vary according to the density of nests and availability of palatable plants; however, it is not yet clear how these herbivores affect tropical forest restoration sites. To investigate how LCA preference affects plant species performance, we evaluated the herbivory of Atta sexdens rubropilosa on native tree species seedlings in Atlantic Forest restoration sites. We expected pioneer species to suffer higher herbivory by LCA when compared with non-pioneer species, and that species with higher damage will have poorer growth and higher mortality. The experiment was conducted in three restoration sites in northern Paraná state, southern Brazil, with 1500 seedlings of 5 pioneer and 5 non-pioneer species. Sites share similar age, stand size, tree species composition, and LCA nest density. The number of attacks, degree of leaf damage, number of leaves, plant height and survival were recorded. Specific leaf area, leaf polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, and nitrogen content were analyzed for each species. Plant damage was similar between pioneer and non-pioneer plant species. This could be explained by trait variability among species in each group and by LCA generalist foraging. Preferred species suffered decreases in growth and survival. Less preferred species suffered fewer ant attacks and no change in performance. Results suggest that ant herbivory can influence plant species establishment and thus species composition in restoration sites by reducing performance and increasing mortality of some, but not all species, making LCA an important ecological filter.

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Fig. 1 in Chemical control of leaf-cutting ants: how do workers disperse toxic bait fragments onto fungus garden?

Fig. 1. Variograms columns: control, sulfluramid and indoxacarb.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2019View details →

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Fig. 1 in Effects of cycloheximide on the mortality of Atta sexdens leaf-cutting worker ants

Fig. 1. Survival curves of Atta sexdens workers during 21 days.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2018View details →

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Phylogenomic reconstruction reveals new insights into the evolution and biogeography of Atta leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Atta Fabricius is an ecologically dominant leaf-cutting ant genus, the major herbivore of the Neotropics, and an agricultural pest of great economic importance. Phylogenetic relationships within Atta have until now remained uncertain, and the delimitation and identification of a subset of Atta species are problematic. To address these phylogenetic uncertainties, we reconstruct the most comprehensive phylogenetic estimate to date of Atta by employing ultraconserved elements (UCEs). We recovered 2340 UCE loci from 224 Atta specimens, which include 14 out of the 15 identifiable species from across their geographic distributions, and 49 outgroup specimens. Our results strongly support the monophyly of Atta and of the four clades that coincide with the previously recognized subgenera Archeatta Gonçalves, Atta s.s. Emery, Epiatta Borgmeier, and Neoatta Gonçalves. The Archeatta clade contains three species occurring in North and Central America and the Caribbean and is the sister group of the remainder of all other Atta species. The Atta s.s. clade is composed of two species occupying North, Central, and South America. The Epiatta clade contains seven entirely South American species and the two species of the Neoatta clade occur in Central and South America. Divergence-dating analyses identify a series of major events in the Miocene, such as the divergence of Acromyrmex Mayr and Atta 16.7 million years ago (Ma) and the crown-group origin of Atta around 8.5 Ma. Extant Atta species evolved very recently, originating in the early Pleistocene, approximately 1.8 to 0.3 Ma (crown-group ages). We provide the first evidence that Atta goiana Gonçalves belongs to the Epiatta clade and that Atta robusta Borgmeier is the species with the youngest crown-group age of 0.3 Ma. The very young ages of Atta and its component species indicate a recent, rapid radiation. Biogeographic analyses suggest that the range of the most recent common ancestor of Atta consisted of the combined North/Central America and NW South America bioregions and that one daughter lineage subsequently dispersed into South America, rapidly diversifying in the newly formed Cerrado biome and Chaco, and further dispersing into the Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Pampas bioregions.

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

Data from: Leaf-cutting ant nests support less dense and impoverished seed assemblages in a human-modified Caatinga dry forest

Regenerating forests make up an increasingly large portion of tropical landscapes worldwide and regeneration dynamics may be influenced by leaf-cutting ants (LCA), which proliferate in disturbed areas and collect seeds for fungus culturing. Here we investigate how LCA influence seed fate in human-modified areas of Caatinga dry forest. We evaluate the seed deposition and predation on Atta opaciceps nests, foraging habitat surrounding nest and control habitat away of nest influence of 15 colonies located along a forest cover gradient during the rainy and dry season. For each habitat, four 50-cm2 plots were established and all seeds on the soil surface were collected along one year. We recorded 13,628 seeds distributed among 47 species and 36.57% of the total seeds did not show any sign of predation. Nest mound habitats supported low-density and species-poor seed assemblages, which were taxonomically distinct from the control habitats. These effects only occurred in the rainy season. The proportion of undamaged seeds were similar across the habitats. While forest cover did not influence seed assemblage in terms of species richness or seed predation, it did interact with habitat type via increments in seed abundance as forest cover increased across the nests. Forest cover also affected seed composition, but only in the rainy season. These results indicate that LCA decrease seed deposition in areas under their influence, particularly on the nest mounds. As LCA profit from human disturbance in the Caatinga, their role as seed 'sinks' should be enhanced in disturbed Caatinga patches, particularly during the rainy season, when most of the plant recruitment occurs. Our findings reinforce the importance of LCA as drivers of forest dynamics and resilience in human-modified landscape.

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Waste of Atta leaf-cutting ants provides nutriment for Leptodactylus rhodonotus tadpoles (Hymenoptera, Formicidae; Amphibia, Leptodactylidae)

Video sequence obtained on 20 November 2019 in rainforest at 915 m a.s.l., Departamento Pasco, Peru, showing the edge of the ants' waste heap at a small roadside ditch, with leaf-cutting ants dropping waste crumbs into the running water and Leptodactylus rhodonotus tadpole feeding on ant waste. Reference to this video has been published in the following article: Köhler, J. & F. Glaw (2023): Waste of Atta leaf-cutting ants provides nutriment for Leptodactylus rhodonotus tadpoles (Hymenoptera, Formicidae; Amphibia, Leptodactylidae). Spixiana 46 (1): 20.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2023View details →