image: 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." view more
Credit: [Photo courtesy of Jarrod Scott, © <i>Science</i>/AAAS]