Mon Prof Augmenté
Ants That Grow Their Own Food
Leafcutter ants cut pieces out of leaves, but they never eat them. Instead they chew the leaves into a compost bed where a fungus grows, and that fungus is the only food the whole colony eats.
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In the picture
- Ants cut crescent-shaped pieces from a leaf with their jaws.
- They carry the leaf pieces down into their nest.
- The leaves are chewed into a soft compost bed.
- A fungus grows on the bed, and the ants eat it.
Examples
- A gardener mixes compost into the soil so vegetables grow well.
- Mushroom farms grow mushrooms on beds of straw and compost.
Key takeaways
- Leafcutter ants do not eat leaves; they use them to feed a fungus.
- The fungus garden is the colony’s only food.
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