Abstract
Leaf-cutting ants are insects that use plant material to grow fungus from which they feed. These fungus-growing ants perform various behavioral activities to establish an environment conducive to the fungus. Among these behaviors are activities that can serve to detect materials harmful to the colony, such as licking, scraping, chopping, etc. However, there are substances that may not be detected as harmful to the fungus on first contact. Cycloheximide (CHX) is one such substance, described as a fungicide that inhibits the synthesis of proteins in eukaryotes, although its mechanism of action remains unclear. The present study aimed at evaluating the behavioral changes of worker ants, time carrying orange pellets, waste deposition and mortality, when subjected to seven days of CHX-incorporated pellets and another seven days of CHX-free pellets. The fungicide adversely and structurally affected the leaf-cutter ant colonies. Their behavior went through changes, such as an increase in pellet-licking frequencies and cleaning among the ants from the third day onward. Moreover, there was an increase in time carrying orange pellets, as well as in the mortality of workers during CHX incorporation.
Highlights
Leaf-cutting ants are neotropical social insects that present a symbiotic relationship with fungus, in which the ants provide favorable conditions for the growth of the symbiotic fungus, a source of food for the colony, this being a beneficial relationship [1,2]
This compulsory relationship prompted workers to learn to reject material containing substances harmful to the symbiotic fungus. This was experimentally observed with the supply of pellets with cycloheximide (CHX), an antibiotic produced by Streptomyces griseus, which inhibits protein synthesis
On the intrinsic relationship between the leaf cutting ants and their symbiont fungus, a question arises: What is the effect of cycloheximide on leaf-cutting ant workers? this study proposed to identify the behavioral changes of workers during fungus garden cultivation with baits containing the synthetic fungicide CHX
Summary
Leaf-cutting ants are neotropical social insects that present a symbiotic relationship with fungus, in which the ants provide favorable conditions for the growth of the symbiotic fungus, a source of food for the colony, this being a beneficial relationship [1,2]. Once the plant material has been selected and transported to the fungus chambers, this material goes through several processing stages, ranging from cutting, to its incorporation into the fungus garden [3]. This compulsory relationship prompted workers to learn to reject material containing substances harmful to the symbiotic fungus. This was experimentally observed with the supply of pellets with cycloheximide (CHX), an antibiotic produced by Streptomyces griseus, which inhibits protein synthesis.
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