Effects of pasture and forest microclimatic conditions on the foraging activity of leaf‐cutting ants

The fragmentation and transformation of land cover modify the microclimate of ecosystems. These changes have the potential to modify the foraging activity of animals, but few studies have examined this topic. In this study, we investigated whether and how the foraging activity of the leaf‐cutter ant Atta cephalotes is modified by microclimatic variations due to land cover change from forest to pasture. We characterized the microclimate of each habitat and identified alterations in foraging behavior in response to relative humidity (RH), air temperature, and surface temperature along ant foraging trails by synchronously assessing foraging activity (number of ants per 5 min including incoming laden and unladen and outgoing ants) and microclimatic variables (air temperature, RH, and maximum and minimum surface temperature along the foraging trail). There were climatic differences between habitats during the day but not throughout the night, and A. cephalotes was found to have a high tolerance for foraging under severe microclimatic changes. This species can forage at surface temperatures between 17 and 45°C, air temperatures between 20 and 36°C, and an RH between 40% and 100%. We found a positive effect of temperature on the foraging activity of A. cephalotes in the pasture, where the species displayed thermophilic behavior and the ability to forage across a wide range of temperatures and RH. These results provide a mechanism to partially explain why A. cephalotes becomes highly prolific as anthropogenic disturbances increase and why it has turned into a key player of human‐modified neotropical landscapes. in Spanish is available with online material Resumen La fragmentación y la transformación de la cobertura terrestre modifican los factores microclimáticos de los ecosistemas, Estos cambios tienen el potencial de modificar la actividad de forrajeo de los animales, pero pocos los estudios se han centrado en este tema. En este artículo, se investigó de qué manera la actividad de forrajeo de las hormigas cortadoras de hojas Atta cephalotes es afectada por las variaciones microlimáticas causadas por la transformación de bosques a pastura. Se caracterizó el microclima de cada hábitat (temperatura del aire, HR y temperatura de la superficie máxima y mínima a lo largo de los caminos de forrajeo) y sincrónicamente se midió la actividad de forrajeo (número de hormigas cada 5 minutos, incluidas las hormigas cargadas y no cargadas, entrantes y salientes). Hubo diferenc