The colony sizes of these ants are made up of around 3. Combat strategies, territoriality and nest defense in the leafcutting ant atta laevigata. However, because of the reciprocal monophyly of the relevant populations of atta sexdens, the gene tree could not determine which populations were more basal or derived for this species. The hormiga culona has been eaten for hundreds of years. Thus, the expansion of road networks could have major ecological and economic consequences by facilitating the increased abundance of ecosystem engineers and agricultural pests. Selective isolation of dematiaceous fungi from the workers. We hypothesized that the induction of antiherbivore defences by attacked food plants, which are toxic to either ants or their mutualistic fungus, should significantly affect the ants foraging behaviour. Paleodistributions and comparative molecular phylogeography of leafcutter ants attaspp. A large nest of atta texana buckley in central louisiana was partially excavated in august 1960.
Little is known, however, about the species identity of. Text is available under the creative commons attributionsharealike license. A quadriocellar scoliid wasp hymenoptera, scoliidae. Attini ants, identified as atta laevigata, were collected close to. Nests of species of the genus atta are structurally the most complex nests in the attini tribe. Academic editor rogerio sotelomundo additional information and declarations can be found on page 9. Do an ecosystem engineer and environmental gradient act. Throughout their distribution, winged reproductive queens of leafcutting ants in the genus atta fabricius, 1804 are consumed as a proteinrich food source and sometimes used for medical purposes.
The use of selective techniques to avoid highsporulation fungi has been recommended and was tested in. For instance, in many termites of the subfamily macrotermitinae, nests can. A mitogenome with a large number of intergenic spacers article pdf available in plos one 95. Among the nine atta species occurring in brazil, atta bisphaerica forel, atta capiguara gonc. The mitochondrial genome of the leafcutter ant atta laevigata. Selective isolation of dematiaceous fungi from the workers of atta.
Attini is a crop pest that is found throughout south america and is widely distributed in brazil. Compound eye and ocellar structure for walking and flying modes of locomotion in the australian ant, camponotus consobrinus. Foraging patterns of the leafcutter ant atta laevigata smith. Cockroaches of the genus attaphila regularly occur in leafcutting ant colonies. Pdf included in the annual supplement of the encyclopedia britannica 1997 97. In terms of size, the largest nests are those of some fungusgrowing ant and termite species. Sep 23, 2014 leafcutting ants of the genera acromyrmex and atta forage vegetation for incorporation into their mutualistic fungal gardens. Much research has focused on the biogeography of speciation in the amazon. Atta laevigata team, bucaramanga bucaramanga, santander. Parasitism characteristics of two phorid fly species in relation to their. Atta nest openings lead to an intricate network of foraging and ventilation tunnels connecting the land surface to the colonys many fungal chambers. Grasscutting ants, atta capiguara hymenoptera, formicidae. Samples for molecular analysis were obtained from 118 atta cephalotes colonies, 46 atta sexdens colonies, and 30 atta laevigata colonies, spanning the known geographic range of each species.
Request pdf selective isolation of dematiaceous fungi from the workers of atta laevigata formicidae. In such large nests, it is unlikely that any single individual has a global view of the overall organisation of the structure as a whole. Leafcutting ants are often considered agricultural pests, but they can also benefit local people and serve important roles in ecosystems. Twelve dormancy, 5 detritus, and 93 fungusgarden cavities were found.
In the case of atta sexdens 8,9, 2,5dimethylpyrazine 1 and 3ethyl2,5dimethylpyrazine 2 have been identified both as components of poison gland secretions and trail pheromones. Intramandibular glands in different castes of leaf. Cryptic diversity in colombian edible leafcutting ants. We find the most important impact of phorids on ants to be traitmediated effects. Paleodistributions and comparative molecular phylogeography. Leafcutting ants lcas are polyphagous, yet highly selective herbivores. The texas leafcutting ant occurs primarily in forest gaps west of the mississippi alluvial plain dash et al. Diversityoffungiassociatedwithattabisphaerica hymenoptera. The plants database includes the following 5 subspecies of celtis laevigata. Selective isolation of agents of chromoblastomycosis from. The following information is derived from barry boltons new general catalogue, a catalogue of the worlds ants laevigata. For example, nests of the species atta laevigata contain more than 7000 chambers and measure. Excavation of nests of the leafcutter ant atta laevigata revealed a system of galleries containing up to 7800 chambers and reaching a depth of 7 m below ground moreira et al. To investigate the occurrence of dematiaceous fungi on the cuticle of atta laevigata ants, 30 workers were sampled from an adult nest located in the surroundings of the center for the studies of social insects, unesprio claro, sp, brazil.
The present study was conducted to document the endophytic fungal communities occurring in the. Use of alternatives to pfos, its salts and pfosf for the. Atta laevigata is a temporary source of income for the poor peasants of the area. Fungal diseases are a constant threat to these large societies composed of millions of closely related individuals. Chemicalrecruitmentforforaginginantsformicidae andtermites. The foraging patterns of a prevalent neotropical herbivore, the leaf. We investigated the occurrence of filamentous fungi associated with the ant a. Borgmeier, 1959, in addition to the genera mentioned above. Fungi of the genus trichoderma are considered possible candidates for the biological control of leafcutting ants due to their antagonistic properties with respect to the ant fungal cultivar ortiz and orduz, 2000, silva.
Tests with the leafcutter ant atta laevigata in a neotropical. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for subspecies profiles. Foraging patterns of the leafcutter ant atta laevigata smith myrmicinae. In this note, the attacks of three coexisting phorid species myrmosicarius grandicornis borgmeier, apocephalus attophilus borgmeier and neodorhniphora bragancai brown against atta bisphaerica forel workers in a pasture located in vicosa county, minas gerais state, brazil, are reported. Attini ants, identified as atta laevigata, were collected close to the houses of patients suffering from chromoblastomycosis in six cities in maranhao sao benedito do rio preto, bacabeira, icatu, pinheiro, palmeirandia, and nina rodrigues. To investigate the occurrence of dematiaceous fungi on the cuticle of atta laevigata ants, 30 workers were sampled from an adult nest located in the surroundings of the. Internally, the nests differ in terms of the shape of the waste and fungus chambers and their location in relation to the external. Atta laevigata c1jc1n laevigata 100 laevigata 100mn176153 c1jc1n migratoria. Atta sexdens, atta laevigata, atta bisphaerica, atta capiguarae, and atta cephalotes figure 2. Publications by other members of the bruna lab i encourage students and postdocs to get invlved in side projects, many of which results in papers. The mitochondrial genome of the leafcutter ant atta. Thus, the expansion of road networks could have major. Biology and management of the texas leafcutting ant. The factors that govern their selection of food plants, however, remain poorly understood.
Atta laevigata smith, 1858 is one of about a dozen species of leafcutter ants in the genus atta, found from venezuela and south to paraguay. Traitmediated indirect effects of phorid flies on ants. Leafcutting ants of the genera acromyrmex and atta forage vegetation for incorporation into their mutualistic fungal gardens. This paper provides a synthesis of the ecological impact of phorid fly parasitoids on ants. Atta cepholates colonies found in different habitats harbour distinct alien fungi in fungus gardens alien fungal communities in the gardens of a. Edit links this page was last edited on 5 august 2019, at 00. The leafcutting ant atta bisphaerica forel is a grass specialist fowler et al. Neoponera laevigata is an important predator on the termites nasutitermes costalis traniello, 1981. Selective isolation of dematiaceous fungi from the workers of. An crataegus laevigata in uska species han magnoliopsida nga syahan ginhulagway ni jean louis marie poiret, ngan ginhatag han pagkayana nga asya nga ngaran ni dcan crataegus laevigata in nahilalakip ha genus nga crataegus, ngan familia nga rosaceae. Diversity of fungi associated with atta bisphaerica.
Annals of the entomological society of america 563. The grasscutting ant atta bisphaerica is one of the most serious pests in several pastures and crops in brazil. A quadriocellar scoliid wasp hymenoptera, scoliidae from mallorca, with a brief account of supernumerary ocelli in insects. We attempted to assess the factors which most affect foraging rate.
Soil moisture and excavation behaviour in the chaco leaf. The evolutionary basis for high species diversity in tropical regions of the world remains unresolved. The only other atta species that can be found in the gran chaco region is atta saltensis forel. The ants farm a fungus that the cockroaches also appear to feed on. Atta species can have trunk trails reaching several hundred meters wirth et al. For example, nests of the species atta laevigata contain more than 7000 chambers and measure up to 8 m in depth 1. Phoridae flies parasitize several ant species, including many atta leafcutting ants. However, the presence of certain endophytic fungi in this predominantly leafbased material could affect the fungal garden and thus the choice of material by the ants. We demonstrate that the higher growth rate of roadside atta laevigata populations is due to increased early. Fungal communities in gardens of the leafcutter ant atta. A mitogenome with a large number of intergenic spacers. Dynamics of physical trail construction and of trail usage in the leaf. Foraging ecology of the leafcutter ant, acromyrmex.
Foraging rate can directly affect the impact that atta laevigata smith has on the environment. Attini is a crop pest that is found throughout south america and is widely distributed in. The prevalence of this agricultural pest is related to its high population density and long life span of the queens, resulting in the requirement for a large amount of fresh plant material to maintain the nest. Leafcutting ants of the genus atta are an important insect pest in. Dna barcoding reveals incorrect labelling of insects sold as. Dna barcoding reveals incorrect labelling of insects sold. Fungal diseases are a constant threat to these large societies composed of.
An crataegus laevigata in uska species han magnoliopsida nga syahan ginhulagway ni jean louis marie poiret, ngan ginhatag han pagkayana nga asya nga ngaran ni dcan crataegus laevigata. Throughout their distribution, winged reproductive. In addition, i am not always a coauthor on publications resulting from my students theses. Sampling locations were chosen to allow testing of the hypotheses in question and to maximize coverage within each species geographic range. Atta laevigata is a pest leafcutter distinguished by a very large and shiny head in soldiers, a characteristic which has rendered the species with. In the case of atta sexdens 8,9, 2,5dimethylpyrazine 1 and 3ethyl2,5dimethylpyrazine 2 have been identified both as components of poison gland secretions and.
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