With Help from Bacteria, Ants Fix Nitrogen (4 of 5) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

With Help from Bacteria, Ants Fix Nitrogen (4 of 5)

Caption

Leaf-cutter ants maneuver freshly-cut leaves in preparation for transporting them back to their colony. These ants do not eat leaves, but instead, use it to grow a fungus which feeds the entire colony. A mature leaf-cutter ant colony can completely defoliate a tree in a matter of hours. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Nov. 20 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Adrian Pinto-Tomas of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and colleagues was titled, "Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in the Fungus Gardens of Leaf-Cutter Ants."

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[Photo courtesy of Jarrod Scott, © <i>Science</i>/AAAS]

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