Lithodytes lineatus (SCHNEIDER, 1799) (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae) as a dweller in nests of the leaf cutting ant Atta cephalotes (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Attini)

AbstractThe leptodactylid frog Lithodytes lineatus is associated with the leaf cutting ant Atta cephalotes in Perú. All specimens found in the investigated area were observed sitting near the entrances of nests of leaf cutting ants. One, found sitting in a nest at a depth of 60 cm, was heard calling and was recorded by lowering a microphone into the ant nest. All investigated leaf cutting ant nests were occupied by ants involved in normal foraging activities.

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Diversity and abundance of understorey plants on active and abandoned nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes) in a Costa Rican rain forest

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467498000029 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 17-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

MARIANA GARRETTSON ◽

J. F. STETZEL ◽

BEN S. HALPERN ◽

DAVID J. HEARN ◽

BRENDAN T. LUCEY ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forests ◽

Rain Forest ◽

Forest Floor ◽

Costa Rican ◽

Atta Cephalotes ◽

Rain Forests ◽

Ant Nests ◽

Small Height ◽

Leaf Cutting ◽

Understorey Plants

Nests of leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini) are abundant disturbances in Neotropical rain forests, and could affect the plant community both while the nests are active and after they are abandoned. We measured the diversity and abundance of understorey plants (>1 m in height) in the area around active and abandoned nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes) at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Sampel quadrats on active nests had reduced diversity (number of morphospecies) and abundance of both small (height >10 cm) and large (10 cm–1 m) understorey plants, when compared to the nearby forest floor (3 and 13 m from the nest edge). Abandoned nests had greater diversity and marginally greater abundance of small understorey plants relative to nearby forest; there was no difference in diversity or abundance of large understorey plants. Leaf-cutting ant nests create gaps in the plant understorey when active, but serve as centres of recruitment for small plants after they are abandoned. Thus, like canopy gaps, ant nests could play an important role in recruitment of new individuals and maintenance of plant species diversity in tropical forests.

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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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