Ecotasia's video: Why Do Leafcutter Ants Cut Leaves

Over a period of a mere 10,000 years, the world has changed drastically as humanity has built larger and larger societies. Using the domestication of other organisms to leave behind hunting and gathering, humans entered an age of agriculture which has feed great cities and fueled the growth of technology. Humanity, however, is new to the game of agriculture and large societies. Other inhabitants of this planet have been doing it for far longer. Leafcutter ants form colonies that are some of the largest and most complex insect societies in the world. These ants are called leaf cutters because they cut pieces of leaves off of plants with their powerful mandibles, easily sawing through the cellulose. Leafcutter ants are major herbivores in Neotropical ecosystems, taking 17% of the total plant biomass to their nest, where they use them to grow a special fungus. Like any monoculture other organisms try to attack and invade and these ants use both mechanical and chemical methods to protect their food source. Sources Aylward, F. O., Currie, C. R., & Suen, G. (2012). The Evolutionary Innovation of Nutritional Symbioses in Leaf-Cutter Ants. Insects, 3(1), 41–61. doi: 10.3390/insects3010041 This is Backyard Expeditions. Here you can find wildlife footage and short documentaries on the natural world. Nature is full of surprises, often amazing things are happening just feet from you door. I am a biology student who was inspired by the likes of the BBC natural history unit, PBS, and animal planet as a Child. I have also long been a hobbyist photographer, filming interesting things over time. My goal is to document interesting behavior and highlight interesting species I encounter both in exotic locations, and on backyard expeditions. Underwater Worlds https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZAJNusnxcNoHUx_sNDYT92k Journey through the Undergrowth (Macro footage of insects and Arachnids) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZC-4h2hpK09I-FF563TQzlc Bird Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZqNM9k7OoY&list=PLYx5OP7sbAZACa11LD1wDQhn0SI2-SV1f Birding Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZAYjq78IuGJI4wc0GXDRHTd Conservation Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZAIUm5UCl84q2KU2nI3YLpx also Check Out my Photography Adventure Blog https://johnjacksonphoto.blogspot.com/