Experiment 2: nest hygieneThere was a significant effect of both gland blockage and antspecies on the appearance of fungi on nest material, but nointeraction between them (Wald=35.9, df =4, p <0.001;Wald=55.9, df =1, p <0.001; and Wald=5.46, df =2, p =0.65, respectively). There were no significant differences betweencolonies (p >0.2 in both species). Both weaver ants andleaf-cutting ants experienced fungal growth sooner if one orboth glands were blocked (Fig. 3). For leaf-cutting ants, compared to nest material attended by an ant with unblockedglands, the hazard ratio for nest material attended by workerswith blocked metapleural glands increased to 1.4; withworkers with blocked venom glands, it increased to 1.99;when workers had both glands blocked, it increased to 2.93;and when no worker ant was present, it increased to 5.01.Blocking of the venom gland in weavers increased the hazardratio to 2.29, and an absence of the worker ant to 2.39. Bothresults were significantly different (p <0.05) when comparedto nest silk attended to by a worker with a functional gland, butnot when compared to each other, in post hoc pairwise comparisons.Sporulation of fungi on the weaver ant silk resultedin only a sparse emergence of lightly filamentous fungi, whichappeared morphologically similar across all trials and was notsuccessfully isolated and cultured. In those leaf-cutting anttrials where the fungal crop developed other fungi, it wasovergrown quickly. Escovopsis was found most commonlyin the trials where worker ants possessed functioning glands(p =0.007; Fig. 4). The appearance of Escovopsis was relativelylower, and of other fungi relatively higher, when theglands of the attendant workers were blocked. Aspergillus
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