Much of the literature on leafcutter ants draws a sharp line between "higher" and "lower" attines.
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Much of the literature on leafcutter ants draws a sharp line between "higher" and "lower" attines. The lower attines are thought to resemble ancestral forms and show simpler adaptations.
But from an ecosystem-wide perspective, the coexistence of both—lower attines with smaller colonies and specialized niches, and higher attines with mass leaf harvesting and extreme worker polymorphism—signals a richer ecosystem.
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Much of the literature on leafcutter ants draws a sharp line between "higher" and "lower" attines. The lower attines are thought to resemble ancestral forms and show simpler adaptations.
But from an ecosystem-wide perspective, the coexistence of both—lower attines with smaller colonies and specialized niches, and higher attines with mass leaf harvesting and extreme worker polymorphism—signals a richer ecosystem.
1/Only in highly diverse ecosystems do we see the full range of fungus-farming strategies. Simpler ecosystems may support just one or two types.
There’s also an assumption that larger colonies and greater worker polymorphism are more "derived" traits. That may be true, but I remain uneasy with the implication.
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Only in highly diverse ecosystems do we see the full range of fungus-farming strategies. Simpler ecosystems may support just one or two types.
There’s also an assumption that larger colonies and greater worker polymorphism are more "derived" traits. That may be true, but I remain uneasy with the implication.
2/2
@futurebird I'm guessing diversity of leafcutter ants is also correlated with warmth and humidity?
After all, both fungi and insect diversity are also correlated with warmth and humidity.
