The aim of this work is study how the activity of soil-disturbing animals that increase soil nutrients affect the carbon: nutrient ratio of plants, which may, in turn, determine the transfer of energy and nutrients through higher trophic levels. Particularly, I study whether the enhanced nutrient availability generated by the refuse dumps of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis, through their direct effects on thistles, impact on aphid populations and honeydew excreted by aphids and how these changes affect the foraging activity and behavior of the aphid-tending ants.
Changes in the C:N:P ratio of plants affect the outcome of ant-aphid interactions.
