Fungal Farming in Leafcutter Ants
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Ontogeny:Ontogeny looks at the development of an organism, from its DNA to the different stages of its development. In the case of ant-fungus mutualism, the discussion of ontogeny encompasses the growth and maintenance of the fungus within the colony, and its transmission to other colonies. The polymorphic caste system has a strong genetic basis, but the environmental aspect of cannot be ignored. Ontogeny of Ant Colonies Development of the ColonyA young winged queen, having mated with enough males to supply her with enough sperm to last 20 years, leaves her home colony and finds a suitable site to create a new nest. She breaks off her wings and begins to excavate a tunnel, then creates a small chamber off of the main shaft. She deposits fungal spores from her mouth and harvests leaf matter as substrate throughout the 70 days it takes the first clutch of eggs to hatch (11). As more workers mature and become able to gather leaves, the colony expands, digging further chambers to house additional fungus gardens. The queen then takes up more permanent residence in the main fungus chamber and devotes her energies to her brood. After two to three years, the colony generally reaches a size of several hundreds of thousands of individuals and begins producing winged forms to create new colonies (11). At this point, the nest is considered "mature", though it will continue to expand as long as additional resources and space is availabe.
Initially, the colony is very sensitive to environmental pressures, depending entirely upon the survival of the queen. A mature colony, though, can grow to cover a huge underground area. One study has found that colonies are most prevalent in areas where excavation is difficult, such as areas on inclines or near buildings or trees (N). Roots, however, are sometimes integrated as parts of tunnels or chambers. Nests of this size and complexity are a huge investment, but by allowing for the creation of microclimates optimized for fungal and larval growth, they are well worth the effort. Learning About the GardenAnts appear sensitive to chemical cues from their cultivars indicating unsuitable species of leaves and learn to reject injurious substances. A allomone secreted by the fungus is disseminated among the worker ants through tactile contact, leading to the avoidance of the toxin for weeks at a time (3). Like some species of bees, leaf cutter ants ants are thought to learn to odour of a food fragment brought by a successful scout and use this as a criterion for decision-making while searching for food (8). It is uncertain the degree to which ants actually learn which species of plant are acceptable and unacceptable for maintaining fungal gardens, but evidence supports the idea that familiar plants are preferable to unfamiliar ones(8). It is likely that the decision-making process is heavily influenced by chemical signals, but the nuances of this system and the significance of learning in foraging behavior are currently uncertain. |