Final answer:
It is true that carpenter ants chew wood with and across the grain, creating clean galleries. These ants maintain their environment meticulously, much like leaf-cutter ants that cultivate fungal gardens. Termites, however, rely on mutualistic archaea in their guts to digest wood.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that carpenter ants chew wood with and across the grain, creating irregular but clean galleries is true. These ants are known for their ability to excavate wood as they create their nests. The galleries they create are often clean and free of debris, unlike the tunnels made by termites which are usually mixed with soil and feces.
These behaviours can be compared to other symbiotic or cooperative behaviours observed in ant species. For instance, leaf-cutter ants engage in a mutualistic relationship with fungi, providing cut plant material to cultivate fungal gardens which, in return, provide food for the ants.