Abstract
We evaluated the relationship between the trail system and the scouting activity of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (L). We counted the number of scout ants in 11 nests at different positions along the trail, before and after tree access was prevented. A. cephalotes tends to search only at limited distances from the end of major trails, suggesting that this leaf-cutting ant employs an area restricted search. We suggest that by scouting mainly at the end of trails, A. cephalotes can concentrate on palatable patches reducing the cost of trail building and minimizing competition with neighboring colonies. This pattern also provides evidence to explain both the conservational grazing and optimal foraging hypotheses postulated for this leaf-cutting ant.
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