Event Type
Research Presentation
Location
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Start Date
24-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
24-4-2026 2:30 PM
Description
Leaf cutter ants are important ecosystem engineers in Neotropical forests, moving a significant amount of nutrients from the forest canopy to the soil. We were interested in understanding how time (day vs. night), weather, and level of human disturbance would impact foraging activity in leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.). To investigate, we sampled activity levels and leaf size along leaf-cutter ant trails in Mera (urban, N=17) and Tamandua (forest, N=27). During the daytime, ants in Mera carried significantly more leaves that were larger in size as well as more total items than did ants in Tamandua. Factors such as the level of anthropocentric disturbance and different surface gradients between urban and rural sites may have impacted the load size carried by leaf-cutter ants. Smoother surface gradients provided by sidewalks may allow for higher load sizes than more complex gradient trails in Tamandua. In Tamandua, average leaf size at night was significantly larger than average leaf size during the day. Understanding factors that impact such a critical group of organisms can provide insight on processes that might sustain tropical forest biomes and biodiversity.
Included in
Foraging Load Size and Activity in Leaf-cutter Ants in Rural and Urban Ecuador
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Leaf cutter ants are important ecosystem engineers in Neotropical forests, moving a significant amount of nutrients from the forest canopy to the soil. We were interested in understanding how time (day vs. night), weather, and level of human disturbance would impact foraging activity in leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.). To investigate, we sampled activity levels and leaf size along leaf-cutter ant trails in Mera (urban, N=17) and Tamandua (forest, N=27). During the daytime, ants in Mera carried significantly more leaves that were larger in size as well as more total items than did ants in Tamandua. Factors such as the level of anthropocentric disturbance and different surface gradients between urban and rural sites may have impacted the load size carried by leaf-cutter ants. Smoother surface gradients provided by sidewalks may allow for higher load sizes than more complex gradient trails in Tamandua. In Tamandua, average leaf size at night was significantly larger than average leaf size during the day. Understanding factors that impact such a critical group of organisms can provide insight on processes that might sustain tropical forest biomes and biodiversity.
Comments
Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard.