Refer to the Figure

question 47

Essay

Refer to the figure.
Leaf-cutter ant colonies, which farm fungi for food, are often infested with a specialized parasitic fungus called Escovopsis. Under normal conditions, the ants periodically "weed" their fungal gardens, removing unwanted materials and organisms. The figure illustrates results of an experiment showing what happens to weeding behavior when the ant colony is exposed to water, to Trichoderma (a generalist fungal parasite), and to Escovopsis. What does this figure suggest about the mutualism between leaf-cutter ants and the fungi they farm?

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Definitions:

Conservation of Volume

A cognitive ability in child development where the understanding that volume remains unchanged even when its shape changes is recognized.

Egocentrism

The inability to differentiate between oneself and other people, often characterized by a lack of empathy and an overemphasis on one's own perspective.

Cross-modal Transference

The ability to transfer sensory information from one modality to another, such as identifying objects by touch that have only been seen before.

Tertiary Circular Reactions

The fifth stage in Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, occurring from about 12 to 18 months of age, where infants explore the environment and understand causality through trial and error.