 |
|
Food security for leaf-cutting ants: Workers and their fungus garden reject endophyte invaders
April 03, 2009New diseases directly affect human survival and food security, especially as population density climbs. Leaf-cutting ants, one of a few groups of social insects to cultivate crops, have harvested plant material to fertilize their underground fungal gardens for ~50 million years. New results from the Smithsonian show that both the ants and their fungal crop actively combat fungi coming into the nest inside leaves, thus ensuring the health of their mutualism.
"When you look at a healthy tropical plant, you think you're seeing just one organism, but each leaf can have dozens of fungal species growing inside, some of which may protect the plant by excluding pathogens," explains Sunshine Van Bael, post-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The fungi growing inside leaves without causing disease to the plant are called endophytes: endo-, inside, and -phyte, plant.
Van Bael and colleagues used laboratory colonies of one leaf cutter ant species, Atta colombica, to test the ants' response to leaves from a tropical vine, Merremia umbellata, in which they had experimentally manipulated the densities of one fungal endophyte species, Glomerella cingulata, in order to present the ants with leaves containing either high or low levels of fungus. They also pitted 32 additional endophytic fungal strains against cultures of the garden cultivar in Petri plates to find out if they would restrict each others' growth.
Ants cut leaves that contained both high or low levels of fungi, but they took longer to cut leaves from the high endophyte treatment. Moreover, the leaf preparation process by the ants significantly lowered the amount of fungi in leaf pieces before they were placed into the fungal garden. The Petri plate experiment also showed that the garden fungus reduced the growth rate for 28 of the 32 endophytic fungal strains that were tested, with a stronger effect for more rapidly growing endophyte strains. This suggests that, apart from the hygiene practiced by the ants, the garden itself can compete with incoming microbes.
"Fungi in the leaves were not welcome in the leaf cutter ants' garden," concluded Van Bael.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
More Leaf Cutter Ants Current Events and Leaf Cutter Ants News Articles
 |
Leaf-Cutter Ants, Carrying Leaves, Costa Rica Photographic Poster Print by David M. Dennis, 56x42 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
|
Foraging activity of the leaf-cutter ant, Acromyrmex versicolor, in relation to season, weather and colony condition: 1972 progress report (Research memorandum) by Floyd G Werner (Author) | |
|
Birds Of Costa Rica : A Video Guide To Many Of The More Than 840 Species [VHS] Jammed with colorful segments of more than 225 avian species, "Birds Of Costa Rica" also features footage of a variety of the other wonderful wildlife which the visitors to this "Switzerland of Central America" may encounter: images of poison dart frogs, leaf-cutter ants, Blue Morpho and Owl butterflies, monkeys, vested anteater, Mexican porcupine, sloths, peccary, coati, and much more. | |
 |
Sign So You Don't Step on a Stream of Leaf Cutter Ants, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Central America Art Photographic Poster Print by R H Productions, 24x18 by AllPosters.com AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall décor that is perfect for their home or office. Browse our catalog of over 300,000 items that include entertainment and specialty posters, decorative prints, and art reproductions. Whether you're looking for your favorite movie or music poster, a framed Monet reproduction, or a print of the Eiffel Tower you will find it at AllPosters.com. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/allposters to find Special Offers and search by subject category or artist. AllPosters.com provides unmatched service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
 |
Leaf-Cutter Ants near Sao Gabriel, Amazon River Basin, Brazil Photographic Poster Print by James P. Blair, 40x30 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
 |
A Close View of Leaf-Cutter Ants Toting Leaf Pieces to Their Nest Photographic Poster Print, 32x24 by AllPosters.com AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall décor that is perfect for their home or office. Browse our catalog of over 300,000 items that include entertainment and specialty posters, decorative prints, and art reproductions. Whether you're looking for your favorite movie or music poster, a framed Monet reproduction, or a print of the Eiffel Tower you will find it at AllPosters.com. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/allposters to find Special Offers and search by subject category or artist. AllPosters.com provides unmatched service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
 |
Leaf Cutter Ant Carrying Away Rose Fragments Photographic Poster Print by Fritz Goro, 40x30 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
|
|
A Close View of Leaf-Cutter Ants Toting Leaf Pieces to Their Nest National Geographic Collection Photographic Poster Print, 24x18 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
 |
Leaf-Cutter Ants, Carrying Leaves, Costa Rica Framed Art Poster Print by David M. Dennis, 39x31 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
 |
Leaf-Cutter Ants near Sao Gabriel, Amazon River Basin, Brazil Framed Art Poster Print by James P. Blair, 39x31 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |