ENTM 1000 - World of Bugs Study Notes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the ENTM 1000 lecture notes on insects, mutualism, and pest management.

Mutualism

Ecological interaction between species that benefits both interacting species.

Biomass of ants

Total biomass of 12 megatons of dry carbon for 20 quadrillion ants.

Farming mutualism

Humans use livestock to convert low quality food (grass) into high quality food (meat, milk).

How do ants locate and control aphids groups?

herding behaviour; wing removal of alate aphids; secretion of chemicals that slow aphid walking

Honeydew

Sugar solution excreted by aphids, which ants harvest/milk

What is trophallaxis?

ant to ant food transfer

What is the job of the replete caste of honey pot ants?

store food in times of shortage

what tribe of ants culture and eat fungus?

Attomo tribe

What tribe of ants has obligate dependence on symbiotic fungi for food?

Attini tribe

what genera of ants have polymorphic species (castes of workers specialized)?

Atta and Acromyrmex

What percentage of leaf damage and biomass consumption in rainforests do ants contribute to?

80% of leaf damage and 17% of biomass consumption

What percentage of cellulose is converted to carbohydrates?

45%

How much biomass of vegetation does Atta spp. consume in grasslands?

same biomass of vegetation per hectare as cattle

What are the components of a leaf cutting ant nest?

A. Ants harvest leaf pieces

B. Trail of transporter workers move leaves

C. Transporters give pieces to processors

D. Leaf pieces are converted to mulch substrate for fungal growth. Fungus produced gongylidia (food for ants)

E. The queen sits on fungus garden laying her eggs. Larvae eat the gongylidia, cared for by nurse workers

F. Waste leaf material, dead ants, and dead fungus are transported to dump chambers

How does harvesting work for leaf cutter ants?

Minor workers chase flies, protect medium-sized workers (Atta cephalotes) from parasitoid phorid decapitating flies. When ants hear flies, they freeze b/c flies detect them by movement

What do processing workers do?

remove wax of plant to put fungus inside

Who excavated the ant megalopolis?

Dr. Luiz Carlos Forti

Numbers on ant megalopolis?

• 3 days, 10 tons of cement

• 50 m², 8 m deep

• 40 tons of soil moved

• millions of loads of soil moved to the surface

• each load 4 times the weight of a worker

• load in human equivalent = carried 1 km to the surface

Can leaf-cutter ants be a pest of human agriculture?

yes

Why are farms in tropical regions often abandoned?

ants increase in abundance after a forest is cut

How do ants affect nutrient supply and cycling?

by introducing large amounts of organic matter into tropical forest soils

What do ant refuse areas contain compared to leaf litter?

about 48 times the nutrients found in leaf litter

How do ant refuse areas affect plant growth?

plants increase production of fine roots

What is ant-fungus mutualism?

ants remove fungus growth in ideal conditions of temp, humidity, and darkness; fungus digests cellulose and provides easy to manipulate gongylidia structures

What do leaf-cutter ants practice?

crop mam

Trail pheromones

Chemical signals used by ants to navigate from aphid herds to nests.

Myrmecochory

Seed dispersal by ants that carry seeds with elaiosomes to their nests.

Invasive alien species

Harmful alien species whose introduction or spread threatens the environment, economy, and society.

Enemy release hypothesis

The idea that invasive species thrive in new areas due to being free from native predators and parasites.

Classical biological control

The introduction of natural enemies to control invasive species.

Ecosystem engineer

An organism that significantly alters its environment, affecting other organisms.

Ectoparasite

Organisms that live on the exterior of their host and derive nutrition from them.

Chewing lice

Ectoparasites that infest birds and mammals, feeding mainly on feathers, dander, and occasionally blood.

Anaplasmosis

A tick-borne disease caused by bacteria that affects livestock and humans.

Ecosystem impacts of invasive species

Invasive species can alter community dynamics and biodiversity, leading to negative effects on native species.

Pest management strategies

Techniques used to manage or eradicate pests, including physical, chemical, and biological methods.