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Leafcutter ants are any of at least 55 species [1] [2] [3] of leaf-chewing ants belonging to the three genera Atta, Acromyrmex, and Amoimyrmex, within the tribe Attini. [4] These species of tropical, fungus-growing ants are all endemic to South and Central America, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. [5]
There are five main types of agriculture that fungus-growing ants practice: [9] Lower, coral fungi, yeast, generalized higher, and leafcutter agricultural systems.Lower agriculture is the most primitive system and is currently practiced by 80 species in 10 genera.
The scale of the farming done by fungus-farming ants can be compared to human's industrialized farming. [5] [11] [78] [79] A colony can "[defoliate] a mature eucalyptus tree overnight". [33] The cutting of leaves to grow fungus to feed millions of ants per colony has a large ecological impact in the subtropical areas in which they reside. [7]
Leafcutter ants farm various fungi from the Lepiotaceae family in a symbiotic relationship. The ants care for and protect the fungi, providing them with plenty of nutritious plant matter and ...
Leucocoprinus gongylophorus is a fungus in the family Agaricaceae which is cultivated by certain leafcutter ants. [1] Like other species of fungi cultivated by ants, L. gongylophorus produces gongylidia, nutrient-rich hyphal swellings upon which the ants feed. [2] Production of mushrooms occurs only once ants abandon the nest. [3]
[2] [7] [13] They attack pathogens that affect these fungi, defend them against potential threats, and generally engage in grooming to maintain the health of the fungi. [13] This allowed leafcutter ants to become the dominant herbivore species in South America [8] and made them able to create massive ant colonies, containing millions of workers ...
This genus describes a parasitic fungus capable of horizontally transmitting between colonies, which can affect any of the 47 species of ants commonly known as the leafcutter ants, which are widespread in parts of the Americas. The fungus transmits itself between colonies by utilizing infected external material. [7]
Leafcutter ants are sensitive enough to adapt to the fungus' reaction to different plant material, apparently detecting chemical signals from it. If a particular type of leaf is toxic to the fungus, the colony will no longer collect it. The only two other groups of insects that have evolved fungus-based agriculture are ambrosia beetles and ...