Nest structure engineering of the leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex landolti, in the semiarid Caatinga biome

Verza, Sandra S.; Gervásio, R. C. R. G.; Silva, O. M. Alves e; Gomes, M. O.; Souza, Selma Alves; Mussury, Rosilda Mara

doi:10.1007/s00040-019-00738-4

Cited by 5 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In some species, the nest mound results from the simple accumulation of excavated soil around the entrance, while in others, the mound is a thatched structure composed of plant material and soil particles, as in Acromyrmex heyeri, Acromyrmex hispidus, and Acromyrmex lobicornis [7,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Besides mounds, colonies of three closely-related species of Acromyrmex grass-cutting ants, Acromyrmex landolti, Acromyrmex balzani, and Acromyrmex fracticornis, construct conspicuous chimney-shaped turrets around the nest entrance made of intermeshed grass fragments and soil particles [30][31][32][33][34]. It has experimentally been demonstrated that turret construction in A. landolti mostly occurs in the wet season, and that the turret walls are very resistant to water infiltration, suggesting that turrets protect the colony against flooding [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Turrets of Acromyrmex Grass-Cutting Ants: Micromorphology Reveals Building Techniques and Construction Dynamics

Cosarinsky

Römer

Roces

2020

Insects

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Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants construct conspicuous chimney-shaped nest turrets made of intermeshed grass fragments. We asked whether turrets are constructed by merely piling up nearby materials around the entrance, or whether ants incorporate different materials as the turret develops. By removing the original nest turrets and following their rebuilding process over three consecutive days, age-dependent changes in wall morphology and inner lining fabrics were characterized. Micromorphological descriptions based on thin sections of turret walls revealed the building behaviors involved. Ants started by collecting nearby twigs and dry grass fragments that are piled up around the nest entrance. Several large fragments held the structure like beams. As a net-like structure grew, soil pellets were placed in between the intermeshed plant fragments from the turret base to the top, reinforcing the structure. Concomitantly, the turret inner wall was lined with soil pellets, starting from the base. Therefore, the consolidation of the turret occurred both over time and from its base upwards. It is argued that nest turrets do not simply arise by the arbitrary deposition of nearby materials, and that workers selectively incorporate large materials at the beginning, and respond to the developing structure by reinforcing the intermeshed plant fragments over time.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nest Turrets of Acromyrmex Grass-Cutting Ants: Micromorphology Reveals Building Techniques and Construction Dynamics

Cosarinsky

Römer

Roces

2020

Insects

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“…Nest turrets of other grass-cutting ant species ( Acromyrmex landolti , Acromyrmex balzani and Acromyrmex fracticornis ), on the other hand, are rather small. They average 3 cm in height [ 25 ], and mostly consist of dried grass blades arranged into a chimney-shaped, net-like structure [ 26 , 27 ] to form a single gallery, plastered with soil pellets, generally ending in one opening at the top, although turrets with several openings can sometimes be observed ( figure 1 ). The adaptive value of these turrets is less understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection and spatial arrangement of building materials during the construction of nest turrets by grass-cutting ants

2020

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Ants build complex nest structures by reacting to simple, local stimuli. While underground nests result from the space generated by digging, some leaf- and grass-cutting ants also construct conspicuous aboveground turrets around nest openings. We investigated whether the selection of specific building materials occurs during turret construction in Acromyrmex fracticornis grass-cutting ants, and asked whether single building decisions at the beginning can modify the final turret architecture. To quantify workers' material selection, the original nest turret was removed and a choice between two artificial building materials, thin and thick sticks, was offered for rebuilding. Workers preferred thick sticks at the very beginning of turret construction, showed varying preferences thereafter, and changed to prefer thin sticks for the upper, final part of the turret, indicating that they selected different building materials over time to create a stable structure. The impact of a single building choice on turret architecture was evaluated by placing artificial beams that divided a colony's nest entrance at the beginning of turret rebuilding. Splitting the nest entrance led to the self-organized construction of turrets with branched galleries ending in multiple openings, showing that the spatial location of a single building material can strongly influence turret morphology.

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“…Their anthills are considered superior to termite, bee or wasp nests (Spadoni et al, 2015), which can be located in several habitats, from rotten trunks, wall holes or situated above or below ground, often difficult to see in the environment or totally exposed in open field (Verza et al, 2020). In relation to their behavior, leaf-cutter ants show differences between genera, species and even within the species itself, when they inhabit different environments within the same region (Giesel et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ants differ between genera and species of leaf-cutter ants, varying their architecture, which can be complex formed by numerous chambers, occupying extensive areas as in the case of ants of the genus Atta, or more simply formed by a single chamber with a single exit hole, as occurs in some species of the genus Acromyrmex (Verza et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ant nesting ecology of leaf-cutter ants in altitude natural fields, southern Brazil

Giesel

Boff

et al. 2020

RSD

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This work aimed to study the ecological aspects of the nesting process carried out by Atta and Acromyrmex leaf-cutter ants in the Campos de Lages Microregion, Brazil. In each municipality 4 equidistant observation sites were established, each point representing an anthill, for a total of 72 anthills. All cutter anthill’s sampled were georeferenced and measured in relation to their surface. Soil samples were collected at three points at 1.5 m from each anthill, at a depth of 10 to 20 cm. Subsequently, the environmental characterization and definition of the architecture of each anthill were performed. The clay contents influenced the selection process of ant nesting sites of the species Atta ssp., and the Al contents and pH values of the soil influenced the nesting process of Acromyrmex ssp. ants. The Acromyrmex spp. anthills were located at higher altitudes than the Atta ssp. anthills. Regarding Atta ssp. anthill’s have a rough shape, are apparent and preferably located on the edges of vegetative fragments. Acromyrmex spp. anthill’s have a circular shape, are apparent, and preferably located in areas on the edges of forest fragments.

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Nest structure engineering of the leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex landolti, in the semiarid Caatinga biome

Cited by 5 publications

References 27 publications

Nest Turrets of Acromyrmex Grass-Cutting Ants: Micromorphology Reveals Building Techniques and Construction Dynamics

Nest Turrets of Acromyrmex Grass-Cutting Ants: Micromorphology Reveals Building Techniques and Construction Dynamics

Selection and spatial arrangement of building materials during the construction of nest turrets by grass-cutting ants

Ant nesting ecology of leaf-cutter ants in altitude natural fields, southern Brazil

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