Really good graphic of leaf cutting ant nest showing journey of leaves through to the dumo chamber.
A. Vegetation is cut from nearby trees by workers following pheromone trails. Research has shown that ants do not memorize the location of food sources but depend on following scent trails left by scout ants. A classic example of emergence, the scent trails produces a cascade effect: the more ants that follow a given path, the more compelling it scent, attracting greater numbers of ants.
B. Leaves are carried back to the nest along the same trails, reinforcing them with additional pheromone markers.
C. Leaf sections are taken to the nest where they are masticated by smaller minims specialized for preparing leaves as fungal substrate.
D. The processed leaves are used to mulch the fungal garden. Fungus digest the leaves and use the nutrients to fuel their own growth as well as the production of nutrient-rich gongylidia for ant consumption.
E. The queen lives and lays her eggs within the fungus garden. After the larvae hatch, they feed on the gongylidia while being cared for by nurse workers.
F. Waste material is meticulously removed from the environment and carried to dump chambers (which also serve as a disposal for dead ants and fungus) or removed from the nest entirely.
courtesy of the Universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark]
Cut away of Leaf Cutter colony
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