Ants: The Farmers of the Insect World
Cultivating Fungi
Leafcutter ants engage in agriculture by cultivating fungi. They cut leaves and use them as a substrate to grow fungi, which serve as their primary food source. This symbiotic relationship involves ants providing ideal conditions for fungi to thrive, and fungi providing nourishment for the ants.
Complex Social Structure
Leafcutter ants have a complex social structure with distinct castes: workers, soldiers, and the queen. Workers forage and tend to fungi, soldiers protect the colony, and the queen focuses on reproduction. This division of labor and cooperation exemplifies remarkable social organization in the insect world.
