Leaf cutter ants (Atta cephalotes) harvest baits offering sodium chloride rewards

O’Donnell, Sean; García-C., J. Mauricio; Beard, J. B.; Chiwocha, T.; Lewis, Dawn E.; Liu, C.; Phillips, Heather A.; Williams, Thomas

doi:10.1007/s00040-010-0069-2

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…1). We extend previous findings on Atta salt attraction (O'Donnell et al, 2010) and demonstrate that Atta forage specifically for sodium. Treatments Leafcutter ant sodium foraging 437 differed highly significantly in the weight of paper removed (F 3,12 = 10.05, P = 0.0014) and area removed (F 3,12 = 5.68, P = 0.012).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Atta foraging was strongest after dark, so baits were placed at approximately 22.00 hours local time and left overnight (O'Donnell et al, 2010). The first bait was placed 3 m from a nest entrance; baits were separated by a 3 m distance.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We excluded the sucrose data from the analyses because the relatively high removal of sucrose-treated paper could mask differences among the other treatments (O'Donnell et al, 2010). The data were log transformed to reduce inequality of variance among treatments.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In previous studies, Atta foragers cut and removed fragments from papers treated with various chemical compounds (Costa et al, 2008;O'Donnell et al, 2010). In a previous experiment, sodium chloride-treated baits were preferred over watertreated baits by Atta cephalotes Linnaeus workers (O'Donnell et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Sodium‐specific foraging by leafcutter ant workers (Atta cephalotes, Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Pizarro

McCreery

Lawson

et al. 2012

Ecological Entomology

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1. Sodium is often a limiting nutrient for terrestrial animals, and may be especially sought by herbivores. Leafcutter ants are dominant herbivores in the Neotropics, and leafcutter foraging may be affected by nutritional demands of the colony and/or the demands of their symbiotic fungal mutualists. We hypothesized that leafcutter colonies are sodium limited, and that leafcutter ants will therefore forage specifically for sodium.2. Previous studies demonstrated that leafcutter Atta cephalotes Linnaeus workers preferentially cut and remove paper baits treated with NaCl relative to water control baits. Atta cephalotes colonies in this study were presented with baits offering NaCl, Na 2 SO 4 , and KCl to test whether leafcutters forage specifically for sodium. Sucrose and water were used as positive and negative controls, respectively.3. Atta foragers removed significantly more of the baits treated with NaCl and Na 2 SO 4 than the KCl treatment, which did not differ from water. The NaCl and Na 2 SO 4 treatments were collected at similar rates. We conclude A. cephalotes forage specifically for sodium rather than for anions (chloride) or solutes in general. This study supports the hypothesis that leafcutter ants are limited by, and preferentially forage for, sodium.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Sodium‐specific foraging by leafcutter ant workers (Atta cephalotes, Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Pizarro

McCreery

Lawson

et al. 2012

Ecological Entomology

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“…To our knowledge, only two other studies have investigated the sodium requirements of ants. O'Donnell et al (2010) found that leafcutter ants (Atta cephalotes) in Costa Rica cut and removed more salt-soaked than water-soaked paper baits, although they most strongly preferred the sugarsoaked option, and Kaspari et al (2010) found that ant recruitment to NaCl baits increased with distance from a salted road at Harvard Forest. Thus, while it is becoming increasingly clear that ants will recruit to sodium in many ecosystems, the consequences of sodium intake for ant nutrition and fitness have received little attention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt intake in Amazonian ants: too much of a good thing?

et al. 2012

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Although herbivory is widespread among insects, plant tissues rarely provide the optimal balance of nutrients for insect growth and reproduction. As a result, many herbivorous insects forage elsewhere for particular amino acids and minerals. Recent studies have shown that both herbivory and recruitment to sodium are commonplace among tropical rainforest ants, but little is known about how ants regulate their sodium intake at the individual and colony levels. In social insects, foragers may respond not only to their own nutritional deficiencies but also to those of their nestmates, who may have different nutritional requirements depending on their developmental stage, sex, or caste. Here, we investigate how salt stress among rainforest ants affects their preferences for salt and subsequent survival. We found that ants recruited more to salt than to any other bait type tested, confirming the strong preference for salt of ants in this region. Initially, we observed similarly high recruitment to salt among workers of the arboreal, herbivorous/omnivorous ant species Camponotus mirabilis. However, when provided with unrestricted access to high concentrations of salt, C. mirabilis workers suffered significantly higher mortality relative to controls, suggesting that C. mirabilis workers forage for sodium to the point of toxicity. Nonetheless, surviving workers showed reduced preference for salt at the end of the experiment, so some but not all individuals were able to regulate their salt intake beneath lethal dosages. We discuss how salt intake regulation may depend on colony members other than workers.

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Artifacts Caused by Leaf‐Cutting Ants of the Genus Atta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Postmortem Bite Injuries and the Tearing of Clothes

Souza

Rosa²,

Arantes

et al. 2020

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Ants are one of the first insects to find an exposed cadaver and can be present during all stages of decomposition. Although these organisms are not commonly used in postmortem interval estimates, they are to be taken into account on criminal investigations involving human corpses, since they can leave bite marks that can be mistaken for antemortem or perimortem injuries, which could be misleading when ascertaining the occurrence of abuse or physical altercation during a crime. A few studies report the action of ants on human cadavers and even though leaf-cutting ants of the genus Atta are frequently encountered in succession studies that use animal carcasses, there are no records of these fungus-growing species on human corpses. Atta is a genus restricted to the New World, ranging from northern Argentina to southern United States and acts as one of the most conspicuous neotropical herbivores. In this study, we report three cases of violent death that illustrate the impact of ants, especially those of the genus Atta, in a forensic setting. We compare the patterns displayed by postmortem bite injuries caused by leaf-cutter ants and other common species with less robust mandibles. We also present the capability of Atta ants to create artifacts by cutting victim's clothes in a crime scene, contributing to the knowledge of ant-mediated confounding factors in crime scene investigation.

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Leaf cutter ants (Atta cephalotes) harvest baits offering sodium chloride rewards

Cited by 6 publications

References 11 publications

Sodium‐specific foraging by leafcutter ant workers (Atta cephalotes, Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Sodium‐specific foraging by leafcutter ant workers (Atta cephalotes, Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Salt intake in Amazonian ants: too much of a good thing?

Artifacts Caused by Leaf‐Cutting Ants of the Genus Atta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Postmortem Bite Injuries and the Tearing of Clothes

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