Leaf-cutting ants
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Leaf-cutting ants (Formicidae: Attini) are capable of devouring enormous amounts of vegetation - about 20 percent of the fresh-leaf biomass in the Neotropics. This makes agriculture of non-native plants which have not evolved a form of protection against predation by the ants, such as fruit trees from California or Africa, impossible in the areas where these ants prevail. The ants use this vegetation to feed fungal mutualists on which they themselves feed. The fungal mutualists= gardens are infected with a parasitic microfungus Escovopsis (Ascomycota: anamorphic Hypocreales), which is highly virulent and has the potential to rapidly devastate the garden. It is prevented from doing so by a third mutualist, an actinomycete (filamentous bacterium) of the genus Streptomyces, which produces an antibiotic which keeps the Escovopsis under control. The experiments described below will be carried out in an attempt to find a streptomycin-resistant form of Escovopsis which can be used to help destroy ant fungus gardens so that agricultural projects can succeed in regions where they are prohibited by the destructive effects of the leaf-cutting ants. A streptomycin-resistant form of the microfungus could be used as a soil pretreatment, blockade, or plant spray to protect against attack by these ants. Knowledge gained by studying antibiotic production by actinomyces, and antibiotic resistance by microfungi may provide some useful data for the study of antibiotic resistance
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99) used ant fungal gardens collected in these areas. This will allow a comparison of the results of the current studies with those of these researchers, and to ensure that we will be looking at the same populations of ants, and the same fungal and microfungal species as have previously been studied. As many attine genera and species as possible will be represented in these studies so that a broad application of the results will be possible. A mobile laboratory will be set up in the field so that experiments can be carried out close to the collection sites. This will allow for additional collections of specimens if needed, and an ample supply of the ant species= natural foraging material and access to the microfungi which parasitize their gardens.
After identification of the various species, nests will be excavated carefully to ensure minimal disruption of fungal gardens, and these will be maintained in sterile containers with multi-chamber systems: an inner chamber for the garden sample, and a larger surrounding area in which to place foraging material for the ants. The ants will be allowed to stabilize in their new environment for 3-5 days before experiments are commenced.
Samples of nonmutualistic fungi will be obtained
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Mueller Malloch, Discussion Results, Summerbell Malloch, Expected Results, Escovopsis Ascomycota, Central America, Rehner Schultz, California Africa, World Angier, Formicidae Attini, fungal gardens, malloch 1999, attine ants, ant fungal, ant fungal gardens, currie mueller malloch, angier 1994, mueller malloch, currie mueller, fungal garden, mueller malloch 1999, streptomycin-resistant microfungi, ant fungus, ant fungus gardens, currie summerbell malloch,
Approximate Word count = 2871
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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