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Leafcutting And Diet Selection: Relative Influence Of Leaf Chemistry And Physical Features, Jerome J. Howard
Leafcutting And Diet Selection: Relative Influence Of Leaf Chemistry And Physical Features, Jerome J. Howard
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The effects of leaf toughness, trichome characteristics, nutrient and water availability, and secondary chemistry on diet selection by the leafcutting ant Atta cephalotes were determined using individuals of 49 woody plant species from a tropical deciduous forest in Costa Rica. The palatability of plants was measured by presenting whole leaves to leafcutting ant foragers on trails and counting the number of pieces cut from leaves. The effectiveness of physical barriers to leaf cutting was evaluated by measuring the speed with which ants were able to cut leaves of varying toughness, trichome densities, and trichome lengths. Plant secondary chemistry was highly …
Leafcutting Ant Diet Selection: The Role Of Nutrients, Water, And Secondary Chemistry, Jerome J. Howard
Leafcutting Ant Diet Selection: The Role Of Nutrients, Water, And Secondary Chemistry, Jerome J. Howard
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The relationship of plant secondary chemistry, water content, and nutrient content to the palatability of leaves to the leafcutting ant Atta cephalotes was determined in a study of individuals from 50 woody plant species in tropical dry forest of Costa Rica. The study took place during the yearly period of maximum leaf harvest, in the early rainy season. The palatability of plants was determined by presenting leaf disks to ants on active foraging trails of three ant colonies. The distribution of several classes of polar secondary compounds in leaf samples was determined using chemical spot tests, and that of ant- …