laevigata (Smith), respectively 8 and 5.7% in A. CO 2 concentrations in field nests were 0.2% in Pogonomyrmex badius (Latreille) 11, 1.5 to 4.5% in A. The large volumes of this gas, produced by the ant respiration and the decomposition of organic matter, contribute to its emission from underground nests into the atmosphere 9, 10. Nesting in deep soil layers facilitates the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2) 8. This fungus breaks down plant fragments and produces hyphal nodules (gongilids) that will serve as food for the individuals of the colony 7. Access to the external environment allows ants to forage plant material to cultivate the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (A. The foundation of claustral Atta sexdens Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) nests involves a great effort by the queen as the only responsible to cultivate the fungus and caring for her offspring in this phase 3, 4.Ībout 3 to 4 months, after the claustral phase, average workers from initial nests clear the channel closed by the founding queen to the soil surface 5. These nests, annually, release reproductive castes that will originate new nests 2, 3. Leaf-cutting ants are the main herbivores in the Americas, from the southern United States (USA) to central Argentina, with underground nests sheltering colonies with large numbers of individuals that forage fresh vegetation 1. sexdens nests in the field is higher than in those in the soil, due to the production of CO 2 by the fungus garden and colony. The concentration of carbon dioxide in A. The CO 2 concentration was higher in field nest than in adjacent soil. The composition of the nests in the field was evaluated after excavating them using a gardening shovel and they were stored in 250 ml pots with 1 cm of moistened plaster at the bottom. Ten perforations (15 cm deep) was carried out in the adjacent soil, without a nest of ants nearby, to determine the concentration of CO 2. The CO 2 concentration in the initial colony was also measured after 4 months of age, when the offspring production (number of eggs, larvae, pupae and adult workers) stabilized. The CO 2 level of the respirometric container was read by introducing a tube into the nest inlet hole and the air sucked by a peristaltic pump into the CO 2 meter box. The CO 2 level was also measured in 4-month-old colonies in the field, using an open respirometric system fitted with an atmospheric air inlet. sexdens colonies, in the field, and their development. The objective was to evaluate the carbon dioxide concentration in initial A. We described the carbon dioxide concentration in colonies in the field. Colony gas exchange and decomposition of organic matter in underground ant nests generate carbon dioxide (CO 2) emitted into the atmosphere. The minimum workers, after 4 months, open access to the external environment to foraging plants to cultivate the symbiotic fungus, which decomposes the plant fragments and produces gongilidea nodules as food for the individuals in the colony. Claustral foundation of nests by Atta sexdens Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) involves great effort by its queens, solely responsible for the cultivation of the fungus and care for her offspring at this stage.
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