Leaf‐cutting ants have a beneficial and obligatory relationship with the fungus that they grow. This mutualism allowed the evolutionary success of these ants. The great defoliation capacity of these insects, which often exceeds the level of tolerable economic damage, includes them as severe pests in many cultures. However, given the close relationship between these two agents of mutualism, it is expected that an impact on the fungus will reflect on the performance of the colony as a whole. Therefore, the effect of azadirachtin on the development, and the macronutrient composition of Leucoagaricus gongylophorus was evaluated. Azadirachtin reduced the final fungal mass at the end of treatment at all concentrations tested, but did not reduce the final growth area. A reduction in the amount of hyphae produced with increasing azadirachtin concentration was also observed. Regarding macronutrients, the compound did not affect their total amount in the fungus. Thus, it is observed that azadirachtin did not alter the composition of L. gongylophorus macronutrients, but inhibited its growth by reducing the number of hyphae produced. This reduction reflects directly on the amount of nutrients offered to the workers and the queen and may improve the management of these insects.

中文翻译：

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印楝素对切叶蚁共生真菌的有害作用

切叶蚁与它们生长的真菌有着有益和必然的关系。这种互惠互利使这些蚂蚁在进化上取得成功。这些昆虫的巨大落叶能力通常超过可承受的经济损失水平，在许多文化中将它们列为严重的害虫。然而，鉴于这两种互惠互利剂之间的密切关系，预计对真菌的影响将反映整个菌落的表现。因此，评价了印楝素对白蜡树的发育和常量营养素组成的影响。在所有测试浓度下，印楝素在治疗结束时减少了最终的真菌质量，但没有减少最终的生长面积。还观察到随着印楝素浓度增加而产生的菌丝量减少。关于常量营养素，该化合物不影响它们在真菌中的总量。因此，观察到印楝素不会改变 L. gongylophorus 常量营养素的组成，而是通过减少产生的菌丝数量来抑制其生长。这种减少直接反映了提供给工蚁和蜂王的营养量，并可能改善对这些昆虫的管理。