Ants could be very helpful in spreading beneficial fungi like mycorrhyzae into soil if they would be willing to gather seeds coated with this fungi. Because fungi can be bitter, the team decided to sweeten the food source. A test was performed in the laboratory and in the field to determine which sweetener would be more attractive to harvester ants.
From our results, we learned that the ants like molasses because it has sorghum in it. One of our teammates has a pile of milo seeds on his farm and the ants always seemed to be making a trail by the milo seeds. Our hypothesis was that ants would prefer molasses because milo seeds are the source of molasses. Our results supported our hypothesis.
We tested the ants to see what seed they would choose: maize (milo), millet, wheat, sunflower, or peanuts. According to our data, the ants like the maize (also known as milo or sorghum).
Another way to attract ants to the mycor-coated seeds that we needed them to disperse underground was to use a substance that fluoresces in ultra-violet light. A 2013 study by Indian scientists found that ants were attracted to the UV "glowing" opening of the carnivorous pitcher plant. Ants were found to see this fluorescence, and it was documented for the first time.
Our team used a non-toxic chemical pyranine as part of the custom-coating of mycorrhizae on the seeds. The seeds were dried and then placed for gathering inside an ant farm in the lab and outdoors under observation in the field with the harvester ants. The pyranine-coated seeds were more likely to be gathered than those without the fluorescent coating. In order for teammates to see what was happening, we observed under black lights so that we could see what the ants were "seeing."
From our results, we learned that the ants like molasses because it has sorghum in it. One of our teammates has a pile of milo seeds on his farm and the ants always seemed to be making a trail by the milo seeds. Our hypothesis was that ants would prefer molasses because milo seeds are the source of molasses. Our results supported our hypothesis.
We tested the ants to see what seed they would choose: maize (milo), millet, wheat, sunflower, or peanuts. According to our data, the ants like the maize (also known as milo or sorghum).
Another way to attract ants to the mycor-coated seeds that we needed them to disperse underground was to use a substance that fluoresces in ultra-violet light. A 2013 study by Indian scientists found that ants were attracted to the UV "glowing" opening of the carnivorous pitcher plant. Ants were found to see this fluorescence, and it was documented for the first time.
Our team used a non-toxic chemical pyranine as part of the custom-coating of mycorrhizae on the seeds. The seeds were dried and then placed for gathering inside an ant farm in the lab and outdoors under observation in the field with the harvester ants. The pyranine-coated seeds were more likely to be gathered than those without the fluorescent coating. In order for teammates to see what was happening, we observed under black lights so that we could see what the ants were "seeing."