Digging and nesting behavior of leaf-cutting ants

• Grant number: 07/04010-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2007
• End date: November 30, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Carlos Forti
• Grantee: Roberto da Silva Camargo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The building activities in social insects produce complex nests, highly adapted to environment and necessities of each species. Leaf-cutting ants, specially, saúva, show a complex structural in their nests, varying in each species, which it is known internal architecture. Simple behavior studies from beginning, i.e., colony founding, to the individual study of workers can provide data or evidence of factors that incite or drive this behavior. This work aims to study the building behavior of queen and workers in several experimental series. The join the field and laboratorial observation will provide to understand the protection strategies of these organisms, in the habitat that live.

Scientific publications

(15)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SILVA, L. C.; CAMARGO, R. S.; LOPES, J. F. S.; FORTI, L. C.. Mandibles of Leaf-Cutting Ants: Morphology Related to Food Preference. Sociobiology, v. 63, n. 3, p. 881-888, SEP 2016. (07/07091-0, 07/04010-0)

CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; HASTENREITER, ISABEL NETO; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS; SANTOS LOPES, JULIANE FLORIANO. Relationship between mandible morphology and leaf preference in leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). REVISTA COLOMBIANA DE ENTOMOLOGIA, v. 41, n. 2, p. 241-244, JUL-DEC 2015. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

HASTENREITER, I. N.; SALES, T. A.; CAMARGO, R. S.; FORTI, L. C.; LOPES, J. F. S.. Use of Seeds as Fungus Garden Substrate Changes the Organization of Labor Among Leaf-Cutting Ant Workers. Neotropical Entomology, v. 44, n. 4, p. 351-356, AUG 2015. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; LOPES, JULIANE F. S.; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS. Energetic cost of digging behavior in workers of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens (Fabricius). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, v. 57, n. 4, p. 401-404, OCT-DEC 2013. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS. What is the stimulus for the excavation of fungus chamber in leaf-cutting ants?. ACTA ETHOLOGICA, v. 18, n. 1, p. 31-35, FEB 2015. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CALDATO, NADIA; CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS; PROTTI DE ANDRADE, ANA PAULA; SANTOS LOPES, JULIANE FLORIANO. Nest architecture in polydomous grass-cutting ants (Acromyrmex balzani). Journal of Natural History, v. 50, n. 25-26, p. 21-pg., 2016-07-01. (07/07091-0, 07/04010-0)

CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS; OLIVEIRA DE MATOS, CARLOS ALBERTO; BRESCOVIT, ANTONIO D.. Phoretic behaviour of Attacobius attarum (Roewer, 1935) (Araneae: Corinnidae: Corinninae) dispersion not associated with predation?. Journal of Natural History, v. 49, n. 27-28, p. 1653-1658, JUL 26 2015. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CALDATO, NADIA; CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS; PROTTI DE ANDRADE, ANA PAULA; SANTOS LOPES, JULIANE FLORIANO. Nest architecture in polydomous grass-cutting ants (Acromyrmex balzani). Journal of Natural History, v. 50, n. 25-26, p. 1561-1581, JUL 2016. (07/07091-0, 07/04010-0)

LOPES, JULIANE F. S.; CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ C.; HUGHES, WILLIAM O. H.. The trade-off between the transmission of chemical cues and parasites: behavioral interactions between leaf-cutting ant workers of different age classes. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, v. 61, n. 1, p. 69-73, JAN-MAR 2017. (07/07091-0, 07/04010-0)

CAMARGO, R. S.; FORTI, L. C.; MATOS, C. A. O.; CALDATO, N.; FONSECA, O. S.. Is the initial nest depth adapted to favorable conditions for the incipient colony in leaf-cutting ants?. Sociobiology, v. 63, n. 2, p. 792-799, JUN 2016. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CAMARGO, R. S.; SILVA, E. J.; FORTI, L. C.; DE MATOS, C. A. O.. Initial development and production of CO2 in colonies of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens during the claustral foundation. Sociobiology, v. 63, n. 1, p. 720-723, MAR 2016. (07/07091-0, 07/04010-0)

CALDATO, NADIA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS; CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; SANTOS LOPES, JULIANE FLORIANO; FOURCASSIE, VINCENT. Dynamics of the restoration of physical trails in the grass-cutting ant Atta capiguara (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, v. 60, n. 1, p. 63-67, JAN-MAR 2016. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS. Queen lipid content and nest growth in the leaf cutting ant (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal of Natural History, v. 47, n. 1-2, p. 65-73, JAN 1 2013. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CAMARGO, R. S.; FORTI, L. C.; FUJIHARA, R. T.; ROCES, F.. Digging effort in leaf-cutting ant queens (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) and its effects on survival and colony growth during the claustral phase. Insectes Sociaux, v. 58, n. 1, p. 17-22, FEB 2011. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)

CAMARGO, ROBERTO DA SILVA; FORTI, LUIZ CARLOS; OLIVEIRA DE MATOS, CARLOS ALBERTO; BRESCOVIT, ANTONIO D.. Phoretic behaviour of Attacobius attarum (Roewer, 1935) (Araneae: Corinnidae: Corinninae) dispersion not associated with predation?. Journal of Natural History, v. 49, n. 27-28, p. 6-pg., 2015-07-26. (07/04010-0, 07/07091-0)