Contrary to assumptions in previous work, we find that trail clearing needs not always be energetically profitable for leaf-cutting ants. We make such an account using a scalable, integrative model of trail investment and foraging energetics. The ecological basis of trail clearing remains uncertain, however, because no full account has been made of benefits and costs in common units that allow comparison. Workers on cleared paths move at higher speed than they do over uncleared litter, and one measurement of the time and energetic costs of trail clearance suggests that benefits of trail usage far outweigh the investment costs of trail clearing. Among those that do, leaf-cutting Atta ants build the most prominent networks, with single colonies clearing debris and obstructions from hundreds of meters of trails annually. Few ant species construct cleared trails.
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