www.stri.org This videoclip shows leaf-cutting ants that were filmed during the Tropical Field Phycology Workshop held at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) at Bocas del Toro, Caribbean Panama, 9-23 July 2008. striweb.si.edu These unique ants are social insects found in warmer regions of the Americas and have evolved an advanced agricultural system based on ant-fungus mutualism. They feed on special structures called gongylidia produced by a specialized fungus that grows only in the underground chambers of the ants' nest. Different species of leaf-cutting ants use different species of fungus, but all of the fungi the ants use are members of the Lepiotaceae family. The ants actively cultivate their fungus, feeding it with freshly-cut plant material and maintaining it free from pests and molds. This mutualist relationship is further augmented by another symbiotic partner, a bacterium that grows on the ants and secretes chemicals- essentially the ants use portable anti-microbials. Leaf-cutting ants are sensitive enough to adapt to the fungi's reaction to different plant material, apparently detecting chemical signals from the fungus. If a particular type of leaf is toxic to the fungus the colony will no longer collect it. In addition to feeding the fungus, the ants also produce a natural antibiotic to protect the fungus from a mold. This mold is present in nearly all colonies of leaf-cutting ants. The antibiotic consists of a white coating on the bodies of ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmiz6D5-nvQ&hl=en
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