Ontogenetic changes in forager polymorphism and foraging ecology in the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes

I compare forager size and foraging selectivity of the leaf-cutting antAtta colombicaand that of its close relativeAtta cephalotes. In both species, larger foragers cut fragments of greater mass and area, and at vegetation sources of greater specific density (mass/area). However, the size-range ofA. colombicaforagers (1.5–56.8 mg) was wider than the range typical forA. cephalotes(1.4–32.1 mg). InA. colombica, the maxima workers (24–60 mg) commonly participate in foraging, making up 13% of all foragers in this study and in a previous study. In contrast,A. cephalotesmaxima workers (24–100 mg) rarely forage (less than 1% of all foragers in two previous studies), but instead serve primarily as soldiers defending the nest. Thus,A. colombicamaxima workers are smaller and do not appear to be so specialized as soldiers as areA. cephalotesmaxima workers. The broader size-range of workers participating in foraging appears to allowA. colombicato exploit a wider range of resources thanA. cephalotes, including tougher, denser vegetation and fallen fruits.

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Traffic Dynamics of the Leaf-Cutting Ant, Atta cephalotes

The American Naturalist ◽

10.2307/3079079 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 159 (3) ◽

pp. 283

Author(s):

Burd ◽

Archer ◽

Aranwela ◽

Stradling

Keyword(s):

Atta Cephalotes ◽

Traffic Dynamics ◽

Leaf Cutting

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Rates of growth of the food fungus of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on different substrates gathered by the ants

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300017971 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 141-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. Mudd ◽

G. L. Bateman

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Availability ◽

Plant Material ◽

Growth Inhibitors ◽

Atta Cephalotes ◽

Leaf Extracts ◽

Relative Growth ◽

Relative Growth Rates ◽

Foraging Preferences ◽

Leaf Cutting ◽

Rates Of Growth

AbstractGrowth of the food fungus of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (L.) on extracts of plants selected by the ants was shown to be affected by the plant species, the pH of the extract, the concentration of the sap or plant extract and pretreatment of the substrate by the ants. It was not possible to establish an unambiguous relationship between the rate of growth of the fungus on leaf extracts and the foraging preferences of the ants for the leaves. There were indications, however, that the fungus grows most rapidly on extracts of plant material preferred by A. cephalotes. Relative growth rates of the fungus on different substrates may be related to the presence of growth inhibitors rather than to nutrient availability.

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Euphorbia cotinifolia (Euphorbiaceae): a promising alternative for leaf cutting ant Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) control

Biocontrol Science and Technology ◽

10.1080/09583157.2018.1460315 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 486-495 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sayra Yady Mina Mejia ◽

Jonathan Rodríguez ◽

James Montoya-Lerma

Keyword(s):

Atta Cephalotes ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Leaf Cutting

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Dispersal of Miconia argentea seeds by the leaf-cutting ant Atta colombica

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467498000492 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 705-710 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

J. W. Dalling ◽

Rainer Wirth

Keyword(s):

Seedling Recruitment ◽

Atta Cephalotes ◽

Brazilian Cerrado ◽

Atta Laevigata ◽

Cerrado Vegetation ◽

Brosimum Alicastrum ◽

Leaf Cutting ◽

Single Night ◽

Local Recruitment ◽

Atta Colombica

While leaf-cutter ants are thought to collect mainly vegetative plant material, they have also been observed collecting seeds or fruit parts on the forest floor (Alvarez-Buylla & Martínez-Ramos 1990, Kaspari 1996). For example, leaf-cutter ants have been observed carrying considerable numbers of Brosimum alicastrum Sw. and Cecropia spp. seeds into their nests (Wirth 1996) and Leal & Oliveira (1998; pers. comm.) found them foraging on the fruits and seeds of 19 different species of Brazilian cerrado vegetation, including six Miconia species. Under some circumstances, seed removal and relocation by leaf cutter ants might even be sufficient to affect local recruitment patterns of trees. For example, in Costa Rica, Atta cephalotes can remove all fallen fig fruit from beneath a Ficus hondurensis crown in a single night (Roberts & Heithaus 1986), while in Venezuela, seedling recruitment of the savanna tree Tapirira velutinifolia was positively associated with the seed harvesting and seed cleaning activities of the ant Atta laevigata (Farji Brenner & Silva 1996).

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