Navegando por Autor "Matsuyama, Simone dos Santos"

Agora exibindo 1 - 1 de 1
  • Imagem de Miniatura
    Dissertação
    Acesso aberto (Open Access)
    Atividade de forrageamento e morfometria de Atta sexdens rubropilosa (forel, 1908) (Hymenoptera: formicidae) em Bandeirantes-PR
    (Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná, 2017-10-20) Matsuyama, Simone dos Santos; Rando, Jael Simões Santos; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-2996; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2794627489819518; Rando, Jael Simões Santos; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-2996; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2794627489819518; Mihsfeldt, Laila Herta; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6619-8652; http://lattes.cnpq.br/5443619889613070; Pasini, Amarildo; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6962-1217; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2947722532833449
    Leaf-cutting ants of the species Atta sexdens rubropilosa, commonly known as saúva-limão, are considered pests due to their foraging activity. During this activity, ants select plant material, which they cut and transport into their nests to serve as a substrate for the symbiotic fungus they cultivate. Ants engaged in foraging explore the environment and encounter a wide variety of plant species; they then select among available species and choose specific plant structures before cutting and transporting the material. Foraging is performed by ants of varying body size that carry loads of different weights. This study aimed to identify the most frequently harvested plant structures and, through morphometric analysis, examine the relationship between ant body mass and load mass. Three nests of A. sexdens rubropilosa were selected in distinct environments: wooded area (N1), integrated crop–livestock system (N2), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivation area (N3). Sampling was carried out weekly over six months, collecting 20 foragers and their respective loads near the nest entrance trails at each nest. Ants were weighed, and morphometric measurements — total body length (head + thorax + petiole + gaster) and cephalic capsule width (distance between the occipital spines) — were recorded using a digital caliper. Plant material was weighed and classified into the categories: leaf, petiole, pod, seed, fruit, bud, and stem; leaves were further classified as young or mature. In total, 1 440 ants and their loads were sampled across the study. Mature leaves were the most frequently transported plant fragment at all three nests. The relationship between ant mass and load mass did not support the hypothesis that larger ants consistently carry heavier loads.