Endophytic fungi reduce leaf-cutting ant damage to seedlings

Abstract

Our study examines how the mutualism between Atta colombica leaf-cutting ants and their cultivated fungus is influenced by the presence of diverse foliar endophytic fungi (endophytes) at high densities in tropical leaf tissues. We conducted laboratory choice trials in which ant colonies chose between Cordia alliodora seedlings with high ( E high ) or low ( E low ) densities of endophytes. The E high seedlings contained 5.5 times higher endophyte content and a greater diversity of fungal morphospecies than the E low treatment, and endophyte content was not correlated with leaf toughness or thickness. Leaf-cutting ants cut over 2.5 times the leaf area from E low relative to E high seedlings and had a tendency to recruit more ants to E low plants. Our findings suggest that leaf-cutting ants may incur costs from cutting and processing leaves with high endophyte loads, which could impact Neotropical forests by causing variable damage rates within plant communities.