Nestmate recognition signals of the leaf-cutting ant Atta laevigata

2002 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.V. Hernández ◽  
H. López ◽  
K. Jaffe
Keyword(s):  
Nestmate Recognition ◽  
Atta Laevigata ◽  
Leaf Cutting

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

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 705-710 ◽  
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).

Does Atta laevigata (Smith, 1858) act as Solanum lycocarpum seed dispersers?

Sociobiology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Paulo Roberto De Abreu Tavares ◽  
Valter Vieira Alves Junior ◽  
Glaucia Almeida de Morais
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Atta Laevigata ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Foraging Trail ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Vegetation Regeneration

Ants can act as seed dispersers, modifying their distribution, affecting the reproductive success and the vegetation spatial structure. The leaf-cutting ants function, as dispersers of non-myrmecochorous plants, is little known. This work aimed to evaluate descriptively the Atta laevigata interaction with Solanum lycocarpum diaspores. The observations were carried out, throughout 10 days, in a secondary fragment of Semidecidual Seasonal Forest in Ivinhema, MS. To determine the removal rate, 500 seeds were taken from ripe fruits, dried, labeled and distributed in groups ranged from five to 50 seeds, totaling 100 seeds per foraging trail. Groups of 30 seeds with pulp were also distributed every 1.0 m on the trails. Individuals of different sizes presented different interactions to the fruits and seeds, smaller workers carried pulp or seeds separately, medium workers carried seeds with pulp or cleaned them before carry to the nest and the largest workers carried the seeds to the nest. Atta laevigata acted primarily as predators, with few seeds discarded. Their actions may interfere in the native vegetation regeneration, with a significant role in removing S. lycocarpum seeds, a pioneer species, and in population control for this species by the severe predation of seeds. However, the remaining1.6% intact seeds allows germination, with the A. laevigata acting as a seed dispersers over short distances for this species, favoring the S. lycocarpum dispersion.

Nestmate recognition in the leaf-cutting antAtta laevigata

1995 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. A. Whitehouse ◽  
K. Jaffe
Keyword(s):  
Nestmate Recognition ◽  
Leaf Cutting

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

2007 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 1637-1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freddie-Jeanne Richard ◽  
Michael Poulsen ◽  
Abraham Hefetz ◽  
Christine Errard ◽  
David R. Nash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nestmate Recognition ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Leaf Cutting

scholarly journals Ant nests and soil nutrient availability: the negative impact of fire

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 639-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro Sousa-Souto ◽  
José H. Schoereder ◽  
Carlos Ernesto G. R. Schaefer ◽  
Washington L. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Atta Laevigata ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Nutrient Patches ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Leaf Cutting

Abstract:High-nutrient patches are important for regulating the structure and physiognomy of dystrophic habitats. Leaf-cutting ants create these rich patches in many neotropical habitats. Burning, however, could diminish or even annul the effects of ant nests on soil properties. To test this hypothesis, we compared the nutrient concentrations at various depths in soil samples near three nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta laevigata and three non-nest soils, located in 10-ha plots subjected to burning or with fire-protection within a Brazilian cerrado. Root density in ant-nest soil was greater than in non-nest soil in both unburned and burned plots. Besides, the concentration of Ca, Mg, K and P increased 2–50-fold in ant nests from the unburned area compared to non-nest soils. In contrast, nutrient concentrations and pH in burned ant nests were similar to or lower than non-nest soils, but the nests maintained higher values of organic matter and cation exchange capacity. The positive effect of leaf-cutting ant nests as high-nutrient patches may be strongly reduced in habitats with frequent burning. In this case, the negative effects of leaf-cutter herbivory on a plant community could surpass the benefits of local nutrient enrichment by their nests.Resumo: Sauveiros modificam as propriedades físicas e químicas do solo, alterando a estrutura e fisionomia local. Entretanto, queimadas podem reduzir os efeitos dos formigueiros nesses ambientes como, por exemplo, pela diminuição do forrageamento das formigas e, conseqüentemente, pela baixa incorporação de material orgânico ao solo. Este estudo testou o efeito do fogo sobre a concentração de nutrientes no solo de colônias de Atta laevigata em área de cerrado. A densidade de raízes foi maior nas colônias do que áreas controle, independentemente da presença do fogo. Na ausência de queimadas, as concentrações de nutrientes foram até 50 vezes superiores nos sauveiros. Contudo, queimadas reduzem a concentração de nutrientes e pH nas colônias. Possivelmente, essa baixa concentração seja atribuída à maior demanda pela vegetação remanescente, em resposta à perturbação provocada pelo fogo. Nesse caso, os efeitos negativos da herbivoria podem superar os benefícios causados por meio da disponibilização de nutrientes pelos sauveiros.

scholarly journals Detection and use of foraging trails of the leaf-cutting ant Atta laevigata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Amphisbaena alba (Reptilia: Squamata)

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Azarias Campos ◽  
Wesley Dáttilo ◽  
Fabricio Hiroiuki Oda ◽  
Luis Piroseli ◽  
Aline Dartora
Keyword(s):  
Atta Laevigata ◽  
Leaf Cutting

Se provee información sobre un individuo de Amphisbaena alba (Reptilia: Squamata) que reconoce y usa un sendero de la hormiga cortadora de hojas Atta laevigata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) en la sabana neotropical de Brasil. También registramos y describimos movimientos de desviación de obstáculos y el comportamiento de A. alba para reconocer el sendero de hormigas. Adicionalmente, discutimos cómo el mimetismo químico de A. alba pudiera estar involucrado en nuestra observación y sugerimos que esta relación va más allá de un simple inquilinismo, donde A. alba puede usar el nido como un sitio de reposo y alimentación para otros organismos asociados con nidos de hormigas cortadoras.

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