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Students in associate professor of natural resources and the environment Jeff Garnas鈥檚 forest health course got an up-close look 鈥� extremely up close 鈥� at the head of a tropical leafcutter ant, collected in Ecuador in 2022. University Instrumentation Center analytical scientists Nancy Cherim and Mark Townley imaged this ant head using a scanning electron microscope at 60x magnification.

鈥淟eafcutter ants are fascinating, since they cultivate fungal gardens to serve as an external gut for the colony,鈥� says , adding that听they also pose a threat to plantation-grown trees in the tropics. 鈥淭he complex 鈥榰ltrastucture鈥� on their bodies and heads also harbors bacteria that produce antibiotics that help the ants stay disease-free and to keep their garden free of 鈥榳eeds,鈥� or parasitic fungi.鈥� The microscopy magnification of the odor receptors on the ant鈥檚 antennae support his lessons on chemically-mediated communication in insects, which has pest management implications.

And while roses are red, ant heads are not: Cherim and Townley colorized the image, giving it the appearance of an entomological Valentine.

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