Dump Chamber should be as dry as possible!
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2018 12:18 pm
Read this paper,
Ribeiro & Navas, 2006, The Leaf-Cutting ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa Prefers Drier Chambers for Garbage Disposal
and it seems that, whilst Leaf Cutters try to keep the humidity in their fungal gardens as high as possible, they try to keep the dump chambers as dry as they can. In fact this paper states that when the dump chambers are too wet the ants start to tunnel through them in an effort to cause flow of air which dries the waste. The obvious reason for keeping the dump dry is to prevent pathogens and pests from multiplying there.
Obviously this has implications on the design of artificial housing insofar as we need to find a way to separate the high humidity of the fungal gardens from the desirable dryness of the waste chamber. It may be that we ensure there is plenty of ventilation in the dump chamber or perhaps have some mechanism for drying the waste.
The Leaf-Cutting ant Atta Sexdens rubropilosa,
FOREL, 1908 Prefers Drier Chambers
for Garbage Disposal
Pedro Leite Ribeiro1,2 and Carlos A. Navas1
Published online: December 16, 2006
Leave cutting ants rely on a fungus garden as their main food supply. This
garden produces debris that must be disposed by workers, as it may favor the
contamination of the fungus. We assumed that the growth of undesired microorganisms
on garbage would increase with humidity, therefore drier areas
should be more suitable for garbage disposal. Accordingly, we tested the
hypothesis that leave-cutting ants (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) choose drier
chambers for garbage disposal.We found that 30 out of 30 sub-colonies tested
for hygropreference chose drier chambers for garbage disposal when offered
a choice between dry (RH=25±5% SD) and humid (RH=95±5% SD)
chambers.
Ribeiro & Navas, 2006, The Leaf-Cutting ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa Prefers Drier Chambers for Garbage Disposal
and it seems that, whilst Leaf Cutters try to keep the humidity in their fungal gardens as high as possible, they try to keep the dump chambers as dry as they can. In fact this paper states that when the dump chambers are too wet the ants start to tunnel through them in an effort to cause flow of air which dries the waste. The obvious reason for keeping the dump dry is to prevent pathogens and pests from multiplying there.
Obviously this has implications on the design of artificial housing insofar as we need to find a way to separate the high humidity of the fungal gardens from the desirable dryness of the waste chamber. It may be that we ensure there is plenty of ventilation in the dump chamber or perhaps have some mechanism for drying the waste.
The Leaf-Cutting ant Atta Sexdens rubropilosa,
FOREL, 1908 Prefers Drier Chambers
for Garbage Disposal
Pedro Leite Ribeiro1,2 and Carlos A. Navas1
Published online: December 16, 2006
Leave cutting ants rely on a fungus garden as their main food supply. This
garden produces debris that must be disposed by workers, as it may favor the
contamination of the fungus. We assumed that the growth of undesired microorganisms
on garbage would increase with humidity, therefore drier areas
should be more suitable for garbage disposal. Accordingly, we tested the
hypothesis that leave-cutting ants (Atta sexdens rubropilosa) choose drier
chambers for garbage disposal.We found that 30 out of 30 sub-colonies tested
for hygropreference chose drier chambers for garbage disposal when offered
a choice between dry (RH=25±5% SD) and humid (RH=95±5% SD)
chambers.