#Socialinsect #nests are #ecosystems with a #diversity of #organisms.
In #leafcutterant #Atta #texana nests, mite #Histiostoma #bakeri reduces harmful #fungi in detritus chambers (S.F. Wirth & J.C. Moser 2008).
A. Panchal et al. (2025) found #termite #Odontotermes #obesus to reduce harmful fungi from its food #funguscultivar using fungicides of #bacteria.
©#StefanFWirth
Ref
(2008)
Proceed. 6th EURAAC
(2025)
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adr2713
pic
O. obesus, Nikhil More, 2020,
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Attached: 1 image
The book “Gardening Ants: The Attines” (Weber) is old but it has so many banger illustrations. Here is one showing the size difference in Atta cephalotes minors and majors. This difference is entirely caused by how the ants are fed and cared for. Ants have so much variability in gene expression and they use it to shape their population to fit the work that needs to be done. (I love the naturalistic placement of the minor on the major’s head, they do hang out like this.) #antbooks #diagrams #ants
Sauropods.winLeafcutter ant. Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua, 2009. The day of Barack Obama's inauguration.
#LeafCutterAnt #Nicaragua #IslaOmetepe #photography #macro