Carbon dioxide levels in initial nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

AbstractClaustral foundation of nests by Atta sexdens Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) involves great effort by its queens, solely responsible for the cultivation of the fungus and care for her offspring at this stage. The minimum workers, after 4 months, open access to the external environment to foraging plants to cultivate the symbiotic fungus, which decomposes the plant fragments and produces gongilidea nodules as food for the individuals in the colony. Colony gas exchange and decomposition of organic matter in underground ant nests generate carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere. We described the carbon dioxide concentration in colonies in the field. The objective was to evaluate the carbon dioxide concentration in initial A. sexdens colonies, in the field, and their development. The CO2 level was also measured in 4-month-old colonies in the field, using an open respirometric system fitted with an atmospheric air inlet. The CO2 level of the respirometric container was read by introducing a tube into the nest inlet hole and the air sucked by a peristaltic pump into the CO2 meter box. The CO2 concentration in the initial colony was also measured after 4 months of age, when the offspring production (number of eggs, larvae, pupae and adult workers) stabilized. Ten perforations (15 cm deep) was carried out in the adjacent soil, without a nest of ants nearby, to determine the concentration of CO2. The composition of the nests in the field was evaluated after excavating them using a gardening shovel and they were stored in 250 ml pots with 1 cm of moistened plaster at the bottom. The CO2 concentration was higher in field nest than in adjacent soil. The concentration of carbon dioxide in A. sexdens nests in the field is higher than in those in the soil, due to the production of CO2 by the fungus garden and colony.

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Responses of pea (Pisum sativum L.) to the rising atmospheric concentration of carbon-dioxide

Acta Agraria Debreceniensis ◽

10.34101/actaagrar/72/1613 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 185-188

Author(s):

András Tamás ◽

Ágnes Törő ◽

Tamás Rátonyi ◽

Endre Harsányi

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽

Photosynthetic Apparatus ◽

Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽

Growing Season ◽

Atmospheric Concentration ◽

Pisum Sativum L ◽

Key Factor ◽

Carbon Dioxide Levels

The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide increases from decade to decade in increasing pace. In 1957, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were around 315 ppm, while in 2012 it amounted to 394.49 ppm concentration. In parallel, the global temperature is rising,which is projected to average 1.5–4.5 °C. The carbon dioxide concentration is a key factor – in interaction with the light – affects the plant's photosynthesis. Among the various factors significant interactions prevail: environmental factors affect - the growth and the development of plants, leaf area size and composition, the function of the photosynthetic apparatus, the duration of growing season.

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The construction of ventilation turrets in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutting ants: Carbon dioxide levels in the nest tunnels, but not airflow or air humidity, influence turret structure

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0188162 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. e0188162 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Florian Halboth ◽

Flavio Roces

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Air Humidity ◽

Leaf Cutting ◽

Carbon Dioxide Levels

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Initial development and production of CO2 in colonies of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens during the claustral foundation

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v63i1.868 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 720 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roberto Da Silva Camargo

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Oxygen Consumption ◽

Production Rate ◽

Co2 Emission ◽

Co2 Concentration ◽

Atta Sexdens ◽

Emission Data ◽

Initial Development ◽

Laboratory Conditions ◽

Leaf Cutting

Queens in the genus Atta are solely responsible for fungus cultivation and for care of herself and her offspring. Only few studies have investigated their nests in the claustral foundation and it is unknown the production rate of expelled carbon dioxide and/or of oxygen consumption in the initial colonies of leaf-cutting ants. Thus, we have studied the development of 50 initial colonies of Atta sexdens, and production of expelled carbon dioxide under laboratory conditions. The number of eggs was counted one week after nest foundation on the seventh day, the larvae counted on day 28, and the pupae between days 42 and 49. The workers emerged on the 63rd and 70th day. The CO2 concentration increased steeply in the 42nd days (20.60 ± 8.36%) and 49th days (15,37 ± 13,11 %), at 42nd days, and subsequently returned to lower values, for example, 3.35±2.84% at week seven. The present study is the first to present CO2 emission data in initial nests, in their claustral foundation under laboratory conditions.

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The Well-Being of Children in Nurseries Does Not Have to Be Expensive: The Real Costs of Maintaining Low Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in Nurseries

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14082035 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (8) ◽

pp. 2035

Author(s):

Katarzyna Ratajczak ◽

Małgorzata Basińska

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Mechanical Ventilation ◽

Air Quality ◽

Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽

Well Being ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Number Of Children ◽

Air Stream ◽

Carbon Dioxide Concentrations ◽

Carbon Dioxide Levels

There are different standards and regulations outlining the requirements regarding building air quality as well as in nurseries. These requirements specify air stream supplies and carbon dioxide concentration levels, both of which ensure proper indoor air quality. Mechanical ventilation should be used to maintain acceptable carbon dioxide levels. This article analyses the use of ventilation equipped with decentralized units, which helps secure the well-being of children. This paper proposes and evaluates economically affordable ventilation units. An algorithm for selecting the size of the devices is described by the supplied air stream depending on the number of children present at the nursery. A method of transferring the investment costs related to the assembly of the given units to the parents is proposed. Air quality in terms of CO2 concentrations was based on the following levels: 750 ppm, 1000 ppm, 1500 ppm. This assessment also includes the investment costs resulting from device usage and the costs of electricity consumed by the fans. These results showed the additional costs that assure the air quality improvement do not have to be high (45 PLN/month, ~10 EUR/month) per child attending the nursery. A 3% tuition increase returns the investment costs on mechanical ventilation within four years.

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Antibiotic-producing bacteria associated with the nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/s-0035-1556204 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (11) ◽

Author(s):

EA Silva-Junior ◽

CR Paludo ◽

FS Nascimento ◽

CR Currie ◽

J Clardy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atta Sexdens ◽

Atta Sexdens Rubropilosa ◽

Leaf Cutting

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Communication: Photoinduced Carbon Dioxide Binding with Surface-Functionalized Silicon Quantum Dots

10.26434/chemrxiv.5944273.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Oscar A. Douglas-Gallardo ◽

Cristián Gabriel Sánchez ◽

Esteban Vöhringer-Martinez

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Quantum Dots ◽

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽

Density Functional ◽

Tight Binding ◽

Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽

Research Area ◽

Silicon Quantum Dots ◽

Dependent Model ◽

Photoinduced Charge

<div> <div> <div> <p>Nowadays, the search of efficient methods able to reduce the high atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has turned into a very dynamic research area. Several environmental problems have been closely associated with the high atmospheric level of this greenhouse gas. Here, a novel system based on the use of surface-functionalized silicon quantum dots (sf -SiQDs) is theoretically proposed as a versatile device to bind carbon dioxide. Within this approach, carbon dioxide trapping is modulated by a photoinduced charge redistribution between the capping molecule and the silicon quantum dots (SiQDs). Chemical and electronic properties of the proposed SiQDs have been studied with Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Density Functional Tight-Binding (DFTB) approach along with a Time-Dependent model based on the DFTB (TD-DFTB) framework. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that proposes and explores the potential application of a versatile and friendly device based on the use of sf -SiQDs for photochemically activated carbon dioxide fixation. </p> </div> </div> </div>

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