| symbiotic nitrogen fixation in the fungus gardens of leaf-cutter ants. | bacteria-mediated acquisition of atmospheric n2 serves as a critical source of nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems. here we reveal that symbiotic nitrogen fixation facilitates the cultivation of specialized fungal crops by leaf-cutter ants. by using acetylene reduction and stable isotope experiments, we demonstrated that n2 fixation occurred in the fungus gardens of eight leaf-cutter ant species and, further, that this fixed nitrogen was incorporated into ant biomass. symbiotic n2-fixing bacteria ... | 2009 | 19965433 |