leafcutter ant
Jungle foliage harvester
Leafcutter ants are tropical American ants that cut pieces from leaves and carry them back to their colonies—often in long processions, each ant bearing a fragment many times its size.
The leaves aren't food; the ants use them to cultivate fungus gardens underground, which they then eat.
Their colonies can number in the millions and excavate massive underground networks.
Person who toils
- soldierArmed forces member
- queenMost powerful chess piece
- nestAnimal-built shelter for young
- caste systemHereditary class division
division of labor · foraging · minims · pheromone · teamwork · collaboration · social structure · cohesion
Fungal filament network
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- cultivarBred plant variety
- hyphaeFungal filamentous structures
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
decomposer · enzymes · basidiomycota · composting · mutualism · harvest · cultivation · chewing
Lower facial bone
- antennaBroadcast signal receiver
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
larva · pupa · metamorphosis · polymorphism · powerful jaws · compound eyes · thorax · abdomen
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- AmazonGreek warrior women
- neotropicalLatin American biogeographic zone
- canopyOverhead protective covering
- understoryForest's lower vegetation tier
jungle · tropical · Central America · South America · forest floor · biodiversity · deforestation · habitat
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
- defoliationLoss of foliage
- crop pestOrganism damaging cultivated plants
- soil fertilityEarth's crop-growing potential
biomass · keystone species · environmental impact · biodegradation
worker
Person who toils
caste system · division of labor · foraging · minims · pheromone · teamwork · collaboration · social structure · cohesion · superorganism
mycelium
Fungal filament network
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- cultivarBred plant variety
- hyphaeFungal filamentous structures
substrate · decomposer · enzymes · basidiomycota · composting · mutualism · harvest · cultivation · chewing · antibiotics
mandible
Lower facial bone
- antennaBroadcast signal receiver
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
invertebrate · larva · pupa · metamorphosis · polymorphism · powerful jaws · compound eyes · thorax · abdomen · spiracles
rainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- AmazonGreek warrior women
- neotropicalLatin American biogeographic zone
- canopyOverhead protective covering
understory · jungle · tropical · Central America · South America · forest floor · biodiversity · deforestation · habitat · underground
ecosystem
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
- defoliationLoss of foliage
- crop pestOrganism damaging cultivated plants
soil fertility · biomass · keystone species · environmental impact · biodegradation
- insectsant, ants, bee, bees, butterfly
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- rainforestrainforest, jungle, tropical, tropics, canopy
- Amazon RainforestAmazon, tropical rainforest, Amazon rainforest, Amazon basin, jungle
- antsfire ant, ant colony, carpenter ant, ant colonies, harvester ant
- leaf eaterskoala, caterpillar, silkworm, hornworm, inchworm
leafcutter antarmy ant
Nomadic predatory insect colony
driver ant · fire ant · assassin bug · antlion · praying mantis
leaf, cutting, leaves, cutter, cutters, leafcutter, leafcutters