Fungal-Fungal Interactions in Leaf-Cutting Ant Agriculture

Table 2

A review of studies that correlate plant nutrients with ant foraging preferences, with additional observations of whether these key plant traits change as a result of plant-fungal interactions (pathogens).

Plant nutrient content	Correlation with ant’s host plant preferences (− repellant, + attractant, 0 neutral)	Fungal-induced changes in plants
Proteins	+ [13]	Increase in free and protein amino acid content [21]
Nitrogen	+ [13, 45–47, 83, 84]	Variable responses from increase to decrease of leaf N and a general increase of C/N ratio [21]
Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC)	+ [46, 47], 0 [12, 13, 45]	Variable responses from increase to decrease of NSC (e.g., accumulation of starch) [21]
K, P, Cu	+ [83, 84]
Al, Mn	− [84], 0 [83]
Zn, Ca, Fe, Mg	0 [83]