Clash of the Myrmidons

The South American rainforest is home to two titans. Leafcutter ants are sedentary farmers responsible for processing appreciable biomasses of tropical vegetation. They use their foraging material to cultivate obligate, fungal mutualists protected within their subterranean fortresses. Army ants are nomadic hunting machines that march in fanning swarms of thousands of individuals. They flush out and overwhelm kilograms of prey every day with their numbers, mandibles, and venomous stings. While mature leafcutter colonies can reach in excess of eight million, their societies cannot always repel, let alone recover from, army ant predation. During swift and coordinated raids, army ants perturb fungal gardens, pilfer countless leafcutter brood, and introduce virulent pathogens to fungal gardens, all of which pose serious threats to mature leafcutter colonies. Though we know that these two groups of ants share a predator/prey relationship, the rest remains a mystery. What specifically is going on when these massive societies go to war? What are the ecological consequences of their colossal conflicts? Join me as I set out in search of the answers to these and more questions concerning the Amazon’s most ferocious warriors. I’m Tristan Darwin Kubik, a budding myrmecologist (merm-uh-col-uh-jist), or someone who studies ants. I’m a graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin and I invite YOU, my fellows from across the globe, to tag along on my journey through a doctoral degree where I will introduce you to my favorite organisms on earth and share with you my passion for insects, science, and storytelling. From interviews with famous entomologists to narratives that highlight the humanity of science and bold adventures into steaming jungles, I am excited to have you join me as I embark on my life’s greatest adventure.