The adaptive benefit of leaf transfer in Atta colombica

We studied leaf transfer on trails of the leafcutter ant Atta colombica. 78.6% (N = 210) of leaves were not transferred, 12.4% (33) were cached and the remaining 9% (24) were transferred directly to another individual. Directly-transferred leaves travelled significantly faster post-transfer. There was no difference between the speeds of leaves that were not transferred and those post-transfer, although there was a significant difference among the pre-direct-transfer, pre-cache, and non-transfer speeds. We suggest that there may be a critical transportation speed, and that if this speed is not met, an individual will relinquish its leaf.