Is dump material an effective small-scale deterrent to herbivory by leaf-cutting ants?

FARJI-BRENER, ALEJANDRO GUSTAVO; SASAL, YAMILA

ECOSCIENCE (SAINTE-FOY)

Université Laval

Lugar: Québec; Año: 2003 vol. 10 p. 151 - 154

1195-6860

It has been suggested that refuse dumps from leaf-cutting ant nests work as a herbivory deterrent for leaf-cutting ants because dumps harbour micro-organisms that are dangerous to ants and their symbiotic fungus. However, this deterrent effect was tested for the narrowly distributed Atta colombica only during a five-day period. We experimentally tested the refuse-deterrent effect for a longer period using the broadly distributed Acromyrmex lobicornis. Although refuse mounds around plants significantly delayed the initiation of attack by A. lobicornis, almost all plants (~90%), surrounded or not by refuse, were killed by leaf cutters in a few weeks. Therefore, the refuse-deterrent technique may not be useful as a widespread method of biological control for leaf-cutting ants. The refuse showed an improved deterrent effect when both the dump material and the leaf-cutting ant came from the same colony, suggesting that the pathogens for both ant and fungus found in refuse dumps might be nest-specific.