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Insects > Lecture 29 > Flashcards

Lecture 29 Flashcards

1
Q

mutualism

A

an ecological interaction b/w spp that benefits both interacting spp

Should be better off through their engagement than without it

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2
Q

what are 3 exs of insect mutualism?

A

Pollination: bees & plants

Improved nutrition of blood: sucking lice, bed bugs, tsetse flies, etc. & microbes
Have special microbes in their gut enabling the digestion of blood

Farming?

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3
Q

describe how humans farming cattle is a mutualistic relationship

A

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

Livestock benefit b/c here are more cattle b/c of farming

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4
Q

Ants locate aphid groups & control them by: (3)

A

Herding behaviour
Maintain aphids in areas of younger parts of plants b/c it is more nutritious

Wing removal of alate aphids
Aphids can be polymorphic – ants don’t want the aphids to leave so they remove their wings

Secretion of chemicals that slow aphid walking

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5
Q

how do ants protect aphids against their aggressors (predators/parasitoids)?

A

Attacking with their mandibles (Ladybeetles have a protective body shape)

Spraying formic acid

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6
Q

who is a parasitoid of aphids?

A

hover fly larvae

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7
Q

how do ants harvest the aphids?

A

“milk” aphids by swallowing excreted droplets of honeydew

occasionally eat aphids when their demand for PRO is required

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8
Q

what is the carb-rich material secreted by aphids that ants harvest?

A

honeydew

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9
Q

Ants travel from aphid herds to nests aided by ____ ____

A

trail pheromones

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10
Q

how do ants transfer their food to other ants?

A

trophallaxis

Drink the honeydew & transfer it to other ants orally

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11
Q

trophallaxis

A

Ant to ant food transfer (oral transfer)

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12
Q

T or F - all ants can act as storage

A

T

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13
Q

what are repletes?

A

honey pod ants have a caste (social stratification) where these ants are specialized to store food for times of shortage by expanding their membranes

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14
Q

how are the repletes emptied?

A

trophallaxis

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15
Q

when are repletes used?

A

When production is higher than demand they store the honeydew

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16
Q

what are the 2 food sources that honey pod ants harvest?

A

honeydew

nectar

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17
Q

only the ____ tribe of ants farm for fungus

A

Attini

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18
Q

where are the Attini ants distributed?

A

Central & South America

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19
Q

who are the equivalents in Africa & Asia to Attini ants?

A

termites

20
Q

Attini tribe has an _______ ________ on _____ _____ for food

A

obligate dependence

symbiotic fungi

21
Q

Atta nests up to _____ tons of soil

A

40 tons of soil

22
Q

what spp of ants have polymorphic spp (castes of workers specialized)? & what is the form of polymorphism?

A

Atta & Acromyrmex

polymorphic size

23
Q

_____% leaf damage & ____% biomass consumption in rainforests (most productive ecosystem)

A

80%

17%

24
Q

In grasslands Atta spp consumes the same biomass of vegetation per hectare as _____

A

cattle

25
Q

what % of cellulose is converted in carbs by Atta spp?

A

45%

26
Q

Describe how ants make their fungus nests

A

A. ants harvest leaf pieces
Done with powerful mandibles
Requires a lot of force
Acquired with quick shivering movement of mandibles

B. Pheromone trail of transporter workers
Go into nest

C. Transporter workers give pieces to processing workers
Bring material to fungus garden

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

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

F. Waste leaf material, dead ants & dead fungus are transported to dump chambers
Located separately from gongylidia

27
Q

gongylidia

A

specialized structure produced by the fungus to provide ants with a food source

28
Q

does the fungus benefit by creating gongylidia?

A

nope

29
Q

gongylidia are rich in _____

A

carbs

30
Q

the separation of waste materials provides what ecological service?

A

important for fertility of soil

31
Q

Fungus growth in ideal conditions of _________, __________ & _________

A

temperature, humidity & darkness

32
Q

how do ants encourage the growth of the fungus?

A

remove wax on plant material

33
Q

what compound does the fungus feed on?

A

cellulose

34
Q

what crop management do ants practice?

A

Fertility management

Waste management

Cultivar selection & monocultures

35
Q

Collection of ______ leaf fragments/year

A

6000kg

36
Q

do ants feed on a variety of fungi spp?

A

no

37
Q

how does the queen ant est her colony?

A

Before a mating flight, a queen collects a small amount of fungus in her mouth

She carries the fungus until she establishes a nest, then uses it to start a new fungus garden

After mating the queen stores 206 – 320 million sperm (last ~10 years of queen life)

Female will make a tunnel, leave some fungi, lay eggs & has workers to begin the colony

38
Q

In the most evolved fungal farmers, the fungus ________

A

cannot survive without the ant

39
Q

Each ant grows a _____ range of fungal cultivars

A

narrow

40
Q

describe pest management strategies

A

can be invaded by other fungi & bacteria

Gardeners weed the garden & secrete compound that promote fungal growth & suppress pests

41
Q

describe the role of the fungicide producing bacteria

A

Patches of bacteria on thorax of ant
Produces fungicide compounds that attacks pest fungus

Queens on mating flights carry bacterial fungicide producers to use in the new colony

42
Q

Myrmecochory

A

seed dispersal by ants

43
Q

Elaiosomes

A

food bodies on seeds with chemical attractants for ants

nutritious & easy for ants to eat

44
Q

Elaiosomes are present in plants of what distribution?

A

Australia & Africa

45
Q

how do elaiosomes spread?

A

Soft structure, but seeds are hard to the ants so they move the seeds to the waste chambers

ants carry them to the nest but are hard so they’re discarded

Insects (33 decks)

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