The five high school students accidentally discovered how Azteca alfari ants respond to damage to their Cecropia host trees. Credit: Donna Conlon.
A bored teenager with a slingshot and a clay ball accidentally shot entry and exit holes in a Cecropia tree trunk during the early days of the COVID-19 epidemic in Panama. The trees provide shelter and food to the ants, and in exchange the ants defend their leaves against herbivores. The Azteca alfari ants patched up the wound on the Cecropia trunk after the student woke up the next morning.
Five curious high school students, with time on their hands, enlisted the help of a scientist from the STRI to conduct their experiment. Despite restrictions on movement during the first wave of the Pandemic, they traveled around their neighborhood drilling holes into Cecropia trees and documenting the damage.
The ants ran to the wound area after the plants had holes drilled into them. Within 2.5 hours, the hole had been greatly reduced and it was often repaired within 24 hours.
Although some Azteca ants are known to defend their Cecropia host plants against herbivores, these new results, published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, reveal that not only do the ants behave in ways to minimize damage to their hosts, but when damage does occur, they
William Wcislo was surprised by the results. I was impressed by how they developed a simple way to test the idea that ants repair damage to their home.
The researchers theorize that the ancient threats to the Cecropia could have led to Azteca alf, because Sloths and silky anteaters often visit Cecropia trees and their sharp toenails sometimes pierce the wood.
Not all of the ant colonies repaired the damage to their host plants, leaving them with new questions. Understanding what factors influence the ants to take action could be the subject of future research for these budding scientists, although perhaps to be addressed after graduating from high school.
Alex Wcislo said that messing with a slingshot has a good outcome. The project allowed us to see all the work that goes into a scientific study. It was a great learning experience, even though it was difficult due to COVID-19.
Azteca ants repair damage to their Cecropia host plants according to Alex Wcislo and his colleagues. There is a DOI of 10.897/jhr.88.75855.
The Journal of hymenoptera research has information.
The Accidental tree wound reveals novel symbiotic behavior by ants.
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