No evidence of strong host resource segregation by phorid parasitoids of leaf-cutting ants

Elizalde, Luciana; Guillade, Andrea Cecilia; Folgarait, Patricia J.

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2018.10.005

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…We found that an increase in number of leaf-cutting ants parasitized by A. attophilus occurred with decreasing temperature, whereas the highest parasitism by this species appeared during winter, which indicated this species has a greater tolerance to low temperatures, similar to that reported for the phorids Pseudacteon borgmeieri Schmitz (Diptera: Phoridae) (Folgarait et al 2003) and Lucianaphora folgaraitae Disney (Diptera: Phoridae) (Elizalde et al 2018). A negative correlation between parasitism by A. attophilus and temperature also was reported from Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil (Martins 2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…On the other hand, greater leaf-cutter ant parasitism during the spring by E. tonhascai suggested better adaptation of this species to the climatic conditions of that season. Differences in the number of ants parasitized between seasons may allow for temporal segregation of parasitoid species throughout the yr with reduced interspecific competition (Guillade & Folgarait 2011;Arruda et al 2018;Elizalde et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal Parasitism of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Phorid Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest Ecotone

Farder-Gomes

Oliveira²,

Oliveira

et al. 2020

Florida Entomologist

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Parasitism of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Phorid Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest Ecotone

Farder-Gomes

Oliveira²,

Oliveira

et al. 2020

Florida Entomologist

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“…The fact that in our study phorids were reared from ants collected from pine plantations (Entre Rios and Corrientes) and urban areas (samples from Buenos Aires), suggests that these phorids do well in disturbed habitats. In addition, we confirmed that M. gracilipes and M. crudelis oviposit in ants from foraging trails as well as refuse dumps, as reported by Elizalde et al ().…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In this study we also described the co‐occurrence of two species of the genus Myrmosicarius in the same nest, at the same time. Up to this study, co‐occurrence of two phorid species was reported for Apocephalus species (Bragança et al, ) or Apocephalus with Myrmosicarius (Elizalde et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Phorid species from Acromyrmex’s hosts and effect on their survival of two fungi proposed for the control of leafcutter ants

Goffré

Folgarait

2019

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae, Metopinini) are natural enemies of leafcutter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Attini), which are among the most important pests in the Neotropical region. These parasitoids lay their eggs inside worker ants, causing the death of the parasitized ants, and the oviposition attacks on foraging workers interfere with the collection of vegetal material used in fungal gardens, thereby affecting the whole colony. However, because of the large number of ants per colony, more than one type of biological control agent is needed to have a significant impact. We collected parasitized leafcutter ants Acromyrmex lundii (Guérin‐Méneville), Acromyrmex heyeri (Forel), and Acromyrmex ambiguus (Emery) from various places in Argentina and reared their parasitoids. We recorded developmental times, host and phorid sizes, and other aspects of the biology of the phorids Apocephalus neivai Borgmeier, Apocephalus noetingerorum Brown & Disney, Myrmosicarius gracilipes Borgmeier, Myrmosicarius catharinensis Borgmeier, Myrmosicarius crudelis Borgmeier, and Myrmosicarius cristobalensis Disney et al. This is the first record of A. ambiguus, an important pest of pine plantations, being a host of phorids. We found the first cases of gregarious parasitoidism of a parasitoid with no‐free pupae: M. catharinensis on A. lundii ants. We also evaluated the effect on pupal survival of two cosmopolitan fungi, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuill. and Trichoderma lentiforme (Rehm) Chaverri et al., which are also considered as potential biological control agents of leafcutter ants. Suspensions of conidia were tested on Myrmosicarius and Apocephalus parasitoid pupae of different ages. No negative effect on pupal survival was found under either fungal treatment. Therefore, the use of both natural enemies separately but simultaneously, or the introduction of fungi‐inoculated pupae in the pest habitats, seems to be a promising strategy for the multiple biological control of leafcutter ants.

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“…The effects of ant natural enemies might be direct, causing increased mortality (Elizalde and Folgarait 2011;Elizalde and Superina 2019), or indirect, affecting their foraging behavior or disrupting their nest (Guillade and Folgarait 2015;Elizalde and Superina 2019). Some ant natural enemies interact by complementing each other (Elizalde and Superina 2019), segregating in their use of the pest thus reducing competition among them (Elizalde et al 2018a) or aiding in the spread of a disease (Oi et al 2009). This interaction among enemies may increase their potential as biological control agents of ant pest populations and allow for the use of several natural enemies in an IPM program (Walter 2005).…”

Section: ₆₁₂ Ag F��-b�� mentioning

confidence: 99%

Act locally, think globally: Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory

et al. 2022

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A��.Building and testing general principles is key to accelerate scientific progress. Here, we review the studies performed in Argentina in which ants were used as model organisms, in the context of ecological theories, hypotheses and concepts. Specifically, we focus on ant studies performed under the conceptual frameworks of ecological engineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, community assembly rules, biological invasions and integrated pest management. Those studies contributed to 1) supporting the concept of ecological engineers through the study of the physical changes in the environment caused by ants through the building and maintenance of their nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soil biota, plants and herbivores; 2) questioning the convergence hypothesis, which proposes that independently assembled communities in similar, but geographically distant habitats converge in composition and functioning under similar environmental pressures; 3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process to increase plant performance in desert ecosystems; 4) understanding the type of control which prevails in communities (top-down or bo�om-up); 5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions in the structure and functioning of ecosystems with examples of trophic cascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition and trait-mediated effects; 6) a be�er understanding of the causes of success or failure of biological invasions, via the study of the behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and the role of biotic resistance and mutualism facilitation; and 7) exploring the concept of integrated pest management via the study of the use of natural enemies, repellents and a�ractants, and the knowledge about the feeding and foraging behavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of ants as model organisms to test ecological hypotheses and highlights the importance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to be�er understand the complexity of natural systems.

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No evidence of strong host resource segregation by phorid parasitoids of leaf-cutting ants

Cited by 3 publications

References 34 publications

Seasonal Parasitism of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Phorid Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest Ecotone

Seasonal Parasitism of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Phorid Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Brazilian Cerrado-Atlantic Forest Ecotone

Phorid species from Acromyrmex’s hosts and effect on their survival of two fungi proposed for the control of leafcutter ants

Act locally, think globally: Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory

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