Puke, poop and tiny cockroaches: How the leafcutter ant queen runs her farm - Charles Wallace

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Una Kavazović

In this south Texas clearing,

Na ovom južnoteksaskom proplanku,

an ancient tale that ties the members of four species together is unfurling.

odvija se drevna pripovest koja povezuje pripadnike četiri vrste.

The first involved is our soon-to-be queen leafcutter ant.

Prva je buduća matica mrava listorezača.

The second is this fungus, a piece of which she scoops into her mouth pocket.

Druga je ova gljiva čiji će deo da strpa u vrećicu u ustima.

The third are these tiny cockroaches, which nestle under her wings.

Treća su ovi sićušni žohari, koji se gnezde pod njenim krilima.

And the fourth is the one that threatens them all.

A četvrta predstavlja pretnju za sve njih.

But it’ll reveal itself later.

Međutim, otkriće svoje lice kasnije.

In a flapping-wing frenzy, our ant takes to the sky.

U mahnitoj lupi krila, naš mrav poleće u nebo.

This is the only chance she’ll have to mate,

Ovo je jedina prilika koju će da ima za parenje,

so she stores as much sperm as she can from the males she meets in midair.

stoga skladišti što je više sperme moguće od mužjaka koje sreće u vazduhu.

After dropping to the ground, she sheds her wings and begins digging.

Nakon što se spusti na zemlju, odbacuje krila i počinje da kopa.

She excavates a tunnel and a side chamber, then plugs the entrance,

Iskopava tunel i pridružnu odaju, potom zatrpava ulaz,

sealing herself in.

zatvarajući se unutra.

There, she regurgitates the fungus.

Tu prežvakava gljivu.

This pile of puke will form the bedrock of her kingdom.

Ova hrpa izbljuvaka će da bude temelj njenog kraljevstva.

Over the following weeks,

Tokom narednih sedmica,

in between laying eggs and consuming the infertile ones,

između nošenja jaja i konzumiranja neoplođenih,

she tends to her developing fungal garden,

brine o rastu svog vrta gljiva,

fertilizing it with feces.

prihranjujući ga izmetom.

Finally, her first offspring surge forth and establish a rhythm.

Naposletku, prvi mladi hrle napred i uspostavljaju ritam.

Soldiers guard the nest while foragers set off to find tender foliage.

Ratnici štite gnezdo dok se sakupljači zapućuju u potragu za mekim lišćem.

The larger foragers, equipped with powerful mandibles,

Krupniji sakupljači, obdareni snažnim donjim vilicama,

anchor themselves on leaves and chomp away in a wide arcs.

učvršćuju se na lišću i grickaju u širokim lukovima.

Holding these pieces aloft,

Držeći visoko ove komade,

which can weigh more than eight times their body mass,

čija masa može da premaši preko osam puta njihovu,

the workers march back to the nest.

radnici marširaju nazad u gnezdo.

Meanwhile, the colony’s smallest ants clean the leaf fragments

U međuvremenu, najmanji mravi iz kolonije čiste komade lišća

of debris and pathogens.

od prljavštine i patogena.

But the colony doesn’t eat these morsels.

Međutim, kolonija ne jede te odlomke.

Instead, the ants use them to sustain their fungus,

Umesto toga, mravi ih koriste za održavanje svojih gljiva,

which, in turn, sustains the colony.

koje, zauzvrat, održavaju koloniju.

More than 10 million years ago, leafcutter ants domesticated fungus.

Pre deset miliona godina, mravi listorezači su pripitomili gljive.

Like many of our crops, the fungus they farm

Poput većine naših useva, gljive koje uzgajaju

is genetically distinct from its wild relatives

su genetski različite od svojih divljih srodnika

and can no longer survive without their help.

i više ne mogu da opstanu bez pomoći mrava.

Reciprocally, the fungus provides the ants with an essential amino acid

Recipročno, gljive snabdevaju mrave esencijalnim aminokiselinama

and digestive enzymes they’ve lost.

i digestivnim enzimima koje su izgubili.

Once the workers return to the nest with their spoils,

Čim se radnici vrate u gnezdo sa svojim plenom,

they crush up the leaves,

drobe listove,

making their offerings easier for the fungus to consume.

što njihove darove čini podesnijim za konzumaciju od strane gljiva.

Foragers work tirelessly over the following months.

Sakupljači neumorno rade tokom narednih meseci.

They create thousands of trails, stretching hundreds of meters.

Stvaraju na hiljade staza, koje se protežu stotinama metara.

All of them are perfumed with the ants’ pheromones

Sve su namirisane mravljim feromonima

and constantly cleaned to function as efficient highways.

i stalno ih čiste kako bi funkcionisale kao efiksani auto-putevi.

Meanwhile, the queen lays thousands of eggs every day

U međuvremenu, matica nosi na hiljade jaja svakodnevno,

and is tended to by members of her entourage,

a o njoj brinu članovi svite,

which nourish her with the large, infertile eggs they lay.

koji je hrane krupnim, neoplođenim jajima koja nose.

Among enclosures containing garbage and growing larvae,

U pukotinama u kojima su otpad i rastuće larve,

workers tend fungal gardens in various chambers throughout the colony.

radnici se brinu o vrtovima gljiva u više odaja širom kolonije.

They prune bits of the fungus to stimulate growth

Orezuju deliće gljiva kako bi podsticali rast

and strategically open and close surface tunnels,

i strateški otvaraju i zatvaraju površinske tunele,

controlling the humidity.

kontrolišući vlažnost.

But ants aren't the only animals down here.

Međutim, mravi nisu jedine životinje ovde dole.

Tiny cockroaches like those that originally crept under the queen’s wings

Sićušni žohari, poput onih koji su se prvobitno ušunjali ispod matičinih krila,

feed opportunistically off the fungus.

oportunistički se hrane gljivama.

Each could fit on the head of a Q-Tip.

Svaki bi mogao da stane na vrh štapića za uši.

They hitch rides on soon-to-be queens,

Šlepaju se o buduće matice

and make their way to more established colonies.

i probijaju se u bolje osnovane kolonije.

Inside the leafcutter nest, they’re undercover:

Unutar gnezda listorezača, oni su u tajnosti:

closely mimicking the ants’ signature scent,

pažljivo oponašajući zaštitni miris mrava,

they frolic and feed in the fungal gardens,

šeću i hrane se u vrtovima gljiva,

mostly undetected.

uglavnom neopaženi.

And here’s where this tale’s antagonist rears its virulent fruiting body:

A baš ovde negativac ove priče promalja svoje zarazno pupeće telo:

our elusive fourth character is a parasitic micro-fungus called Escovopsis.

naš iluzorni četvrti lik je parazitska mikro-gljiva nazvana Escovopsis.

If left unchecked, it would destroy the fungal gardens and the ants

Ukoliko se otrgne kontroli, uništiće vrtove gljiva, a time mrave

and the cockroaches that depend on them.

i žohare koji zavise od njih.

The leafcutters mount a barrage of defenses.

Mravi listorezači pokreću žestoku odbranu.

They rigorously weed Escovopsis out

Pažljivo pleve Escovopsis

and partner up with different microorganisms like yeasts and bacteria

i udružuju se sa raznim mikroorganizmima poput gljivica i bakterija

to stunt its growth.

kako bi obuzdali njen rast.

Eventually, the leafcutter colony covers several meters of underground tunnels,

Vremenom, kolonija listorezača pokriva nekoliko metara podzemnih tunela,

comprises millions of workers, and can defoliate a tree in a single night.

sadrži milione radnika i može da obrsti drvo za samo jednu noć.

The queen’s kingdom will persist as long as she does,

Matičino kraljevstvo će opstati koliko i ona,

which may be over a decade.

a to može da bude preko deceniju.

Every spring, some of the queen’s offspring prepare to leave.

Svakog proleća, neki od matičinih mladih se pripremaju za odlazak.

They grab a piece of home and crowd the surface chambers,

Zauzimaju delić doma i gomilaju se u površinskim odajama,

preparing to fly off and mate, beginning the cycle anew.

spremaju se da odlete i da se pare, započinjući ciklus ispočetka.