Farming Ants: Leafcutters and Fungus Growers
Hundreds of ant species live as farmers in the warmer regions of North and South America. These insects- a single evolutionary radiation- cultivate an edible fungus fed with bits of vegetative debris, or in the case of the leafcutter ants, with live vegetation.
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis. Fungus-growing ants use a variety of substrates to nourish their cultivars, but caterpillar frass is one of the richest.
Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis. Fungus-growing ants use a variety of substrates to nourish their cultivars, but caterpillar frass is one of the richest.
Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Camera: Canon (Canon Eos 50d) |
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all images and text © Alex Wild 2010
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