| Abstract: | Summary: Because the size of Atta spp. along foraging trails is partly determined by the characteristics of the plants harvested, and considering that parasitic phorid flies are attracted mostly to large individuals, we hypothesized that plant toughness affects the susceptibility of Atta spp. to these parasitoids. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated parasitism rates of the phorid Neodohrniphora sp. and its effect on Atta sexdens (L.) foragers in a laboratory colony. We manipulated forager size by alternating tough (Anthocephalus chinensis, Rubiaceae) and tender (Rosa chinensis, Rosaceae) plants given to the colony. Ants foraging on tough leaves were larger than ants foraging on soft leaves, and there was a significant reduction in forager size for both plants when the colony was exposed to Neodohrniphora sp. However, there were no relative differences on forager size between the two plants after the introduction of the parasitoid. The lack of response of Neodohrniphora sp. to the increase in ant size when the colony was given tough leaves may be attributed to the unusually large number of suitable hosts in a laboratory colony. However, large foragers are much less abundant in the field, in which case shifts in the size of the workforce triggered by different substrates could affect the incidence of parasitism. |
