Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants

Autores
Arenas, Andres; Roces, Flavio
Año de publicación
2016
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they proved to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest. By this time, waste particles removed from the garden likely contain cues originating from both the unsuitable plant and the damaged fungus. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ant foragers learn to avoid unsuitable plants solely through the colony waste. We fed subcolonies of Acromymex ambiguus privet leaves treated with a fungicide undetectable for the ants, collected later the produced waste, and placed it into the fungus chamber of naïve subcolonies. In individual choice tests, naïve foragers preferred privet leaves before, but avoided them after waste was given into the fungus chamber. Evidence on the influence of olfactory cues from the waste on decision making by foragers was obtained by scenting and transferring waste particles from subcolonies that had been fed either fungicide-treated or untreated leaves. In choice experiments, foragers from subcolonies given scented waste originating from fungicide-treated leaves collected less sugared paper disks smelling to it, as compared to foragers from subcolonies given scented waste from untreated leaves. Results indicate that foragers learn to avoid plants unsuitable for the fungus by associating plant odours and cues from the damaged fungus that are contingent in waste particles. It is argued that waste particles may contribute to spread information about noxious plants for the fungus within the colony.
Fil: Arenas, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentina. Universität Würzburg; Alemania
Fil: Roces, Flavio. Universität Würzburg; Alemania
Materia
Leaf-cutting ants
Odor information
Waste
Delayed avoidance
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/45121
Acceder
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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting antsArenas, AndresRoces, FlavioLeaf-cutting antsOdor informationWasteDelayed avoidancehttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they proved to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest. By this time, waste particles removed from the garden likely contain cues originating from both the unsuitable plant and the damaged fungus. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ant foragers learn to avoid unsuitable plants solely through the colony waste. We fed subcolonies of Acromymex ambiguus privet leaves treated with a fungicide undetectable for the ants, collected later the produced waste, and placed it into the fungus chamber of naïve subcolonies. In individual choice tests, naïve foragers preferred privet leaves before, but avoided them after waste was given into the fungus chamber. Evidence on the influence of olfactory cues from the waste on decision making by foragers was obtained by scenting and transferring waste particles from subcolonies that had been fed either fungicide-treated or untreated leaves. In choice experiments, foragers from subcolonies given scented waste originating from fungicide-treated leaves collected less sugared paper disks smelling to it, as compared to foragers from subcolonies given scented waste from untreated leaves. Results indicate that foragers learn to avoid plants unsuitable for the fungus by associating plant odours and cues from the damaged fungus that are contingent in waste particles. It is argued that waste particles may contribute to spread information about noxious plants for the fungus within the colony.Fil: Arenas, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentina. Universität Würzburg; AlemaniaFil: Roces, Flavio. Universität Würzburg; AlemaniaCompany of Biologists2016-08info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/45121Arenas, Andres; Roces, Flavio; Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants; Company of Biologists; Journal of Experimental Biology; 219; 16; 8-2016; 2490-24960022-09491477-9145CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27284068info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1242/jeb.139568info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://jeb.biologists.org/content/219/16/2490.longinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T09:39:51Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/45121instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 09:39:51.831CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
title Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
spellingShingle Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
Arenas, Andres
Leaf-cutting ants
Odor information
Waste
Delayed avoidance
title_short Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
title_full Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
title_fullStr Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
title_full_unstemmed Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
title_sort Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Arenas, Andres
Roces, Flavio
author Arenas, Andres
author_facet Arenas, Andres
Roces, Flavio
author_role author
author2 Roces, Flavio
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Leaf-cutting ants
Odor information
Waste
Delayed avoidance
topic Leaf-cutting ants
Odor information
Waste
Delayed avoidance
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they proved to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest. By this time, waste particles removed from the garden likely contain cues originating from both the unsuitable plant and the damaged fungus. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ant foragers learn to avoid unsuitable plants solely through the colony waste. We fed subcolonies of Acromymex ambiguus privet leaves treated with a fungicide undetectable for the ants, collected later the produced waste, and placed it into the fungus chamber of naïve subcolonies. In individual choice tests, naïve foragers preferred privet leaves before, but avoided them after waste was given into the fungus chamber. Evidence on the influence of olfactory cues from the waste on decision making by foragers was obtained by scenting and transferring waste particles from subcolonies that had been fed either fungicide-treated or untreated leaves. In choice experiments, foragers from subcolonies given scented waste originating from fungicide-treated leaves collected less sugared paper disks smelling to it, as compared to foragers from subcolonies given scented waste from untreated leaves. Results indicate that foragers learn to avoid plants unsuitable for the fungus by associating plant odours and cues from the damaged fungus that are contingent in waste particles. It is argued that waste particles may contribute to spread information about noxious plants for the fungus within the colony.
Fil: Arenas, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentina. Universität Würzburg; Alemania
Fil: Roces, Flavio. Universität Würzburg; Alemania
description Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid plants initially harvested if they proved to be harmful for their symbiotic fungus once incorporated into the nest. By this time, waste particles removed from the garden likely contain cues originating from both the unsuitable plant and the damaged fungus. We investigated whether leaf-cutting ant foragers learn to avoid unsuitable plants solely through the colony waste. We fed subcolonies of Acromymex ambiguus privet leaves treated with a fungicide undetectable for the ants, collected later the produced waste, and placed it into the fungus chamber of naïve subcolonies. In individual choice tests, naïve foragers preferred privet leaves before, but avoided them after waste was given into the fungus chamber. Evidence on the influence of olfactory cues from the waste on decision making by foragers was obtained by scenting and transferring waste particles from subcolonies that had been fed either fungicide-treated or untreated leaves. In choice experiments, foragers from subcolonies given scented waste originating from fungicide-treated leaves collected less sugared paper disks smelling to it, as compared to foragers from subcolonies given scented waste from untreated leaves. Results indicate that foragers learn to avoid plants unsuitable for the fungus by associating plant odours and cues from the damaged fungus that are contingent in waste particles. It is argued that waste particles may contribute to spread information about noxious plants for the fungus within the colony.
publishDate 2016
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2016-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/45121
Arenas, Andres; Roces, Flavio; Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants; Company of Biologists; Journal of Experimental Biology; 219; 16; 8-2016; 2490-2496
0022-0949
1477-9145
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/45121
identifier_str_mv Arenas, Andres; Roces, Flavio; Learning through the waste: olfactory cues from the colony refuse influence plant preferences in foraging leaf-cutting ants; Company of Biologists; Journal of Experimental Biology; 219; 16; 8-2016; 2490-2496
0022-0949
1477-9145
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27284068
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1242/jeb.139568
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://jeb.biologists.org/content/219/16/2490.long
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Company of Biologists
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Company of Biologists
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.070432

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