Two Ohio State researchers attended the world’s largest gathering of experts on the study of ants at XXVI Simpósio de Mirmecologia: An International Ant Meeting, which was held in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil last October.

Rachelle Adams, associate professor, and Livia Pires do Prado, postdoctoral researcher,  with Ohio State’s Museum of Biological Biodiversity, participated in the scientific conference and an expedition in the Amazon.

The conference brought together myrmecologists from various regions of the world to share their research findings. Both Adams and Prado participated in roundtable discussions and delivered presentations, “Preservation of the Mercenary Ant’s Species Network” and “Natural History, Fieldwork and Reproductive Biology in Megalomyrmex Ants: Time to connect the dots,” respectively.

The expedition took place at Ferreira Penna Scientific Station in the Caxiuanã National Forest where the group collected and observed rare Megalomyrmex ants.

The research team plans to publish at least two papers based on their work in the coming year. In addition, new collaborative relationships were formed with Brazilian researchers from Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi in Pará, Brazil and the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo. The team plans to seek joint funding and will likely exchange student researchers in the near future.

The trip was made possible thanks to the support of the Ohio State Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Postdoctoral Recruitment and Onboarding Supplement program, which supports postdoctoral scholars, and the National Science Foundation.