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

摘要: 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, leafcutter foraging affected nutritional demands of colony and/or their symbiotic fungal mutualists. We hypothesized that colonies sodium limited, will therefore forage specifically sodium. 2. Previous studies demonstrated Atta cephalotes Linnaeus workers preferentially cut remove paper baits treated with NaCl relative to water control baits. this study were presented offering NaCl, Na2SO4, KCl test whether leafcutters sodium. Sucrose used as positive negative controls, respectively. 3. foragers removed significantly more Na2SO4 than treatment, which did not differ from water. The treatments collected at similar rates. conclude A. rather anions (chloride) or solutes general. This supports hypothesis limited by, for,