Horizontal partner exchange does not preclude stable mutualism in fungus-growing ants

Howe, Jack; Schiøtt, Morten; Boomsma, Jacobus J.

doi:10.1093/beheco/ary176

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Many attine ant species maintain mutualistic associations with several fungal haplotypes 46 – 48 . This trait also applies to human farming but is puzzling in attine farms that are constrained to rear a single cultivar clone which is usually vertically acquired 12 , 49 . For instance, if neighbouring colonies of the same ant species farm genetically distinct cultivars with different FNNs, one should expect considerable farmer plasticity to target RNNs that match their cultivar’s specific needs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional niches reveal fundamental domestication trade-offs in fungus-farming ants

et al. 2020

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During crop domestication, human farmers traded greater productivity for higher crop vulnerability outside specialized cultivation conditions. We found a similar domestication tradeoff across the major co-evolutionary transitions in farming systems of attine ants. First, the fundamental nutritional niches (FNNs) of cultivars narrowed during ~ 60 million years of naturally selected domestication, and laboratory experiments showed that ant farmers representing subsequent domestication stages strictly regulate protein harvest relative to cultivar FNNs. Second, ants with different farming systems differed in their abilities to harvest the resources that best matched the nutritional needs of their fungal cultivars. This was assessed by quantifying realized nutritional niches (RNNs) from analyses of items collected from the mandibles of laden ant foragers in the field. Third, extensive field collections suggest that among-colony genetic diversity of cultivars in small-scale farms may offer population-wide resilience benefits that species with large-scale farming colonies achieve by more elaborate and demanding cultivation practices of less diverse crops. Our results underscore that naturally selected farming systems have potential to shed light on nutritional tradeoffs that shaped the course of culturally evolved human farming.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional niches reveal fundamental domestication trade-offs in fungus-farming ants

et al. 2020

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“…Seal & Mueller, 2014) ya que siempre se lo encontró asociado a hormigas no cortadoras del género Trachymyrmex. Los resultados de este estudio y la literatura sugieren que existe transferencias de simbiontes entre poblaciones de hormigas a nivel intra e interespecíficas (Mikheyev et al, 2006;Mueller et al, 2011aMueller et al, , 2017Howe et al, 2018). Se ha observado que los mecanismos de transferencia pueden ser mediados por el hurto del simbionte, la adopción de jardines fúngicos abandonados o la usurpación de hormigueros por parte de las reinas fundadoras (Howe et al, 2018).…”

Section: Características De La Simbiosisunclassified

“…Los resultados de este estudio y la literatura sugieren que existe transferencias de simbiontes entre poblaciones de hormigas a nivel intra e interespecíficas (Mikheyev et al, 2006;Mueller et al, 2011aMueller et al, , 2017Howe et al, 2018). Se ha observado que los mecanismos de transferencia pueden ser mediados por el hurto del simbionte, la adopción de jardines fúngicos abandonados o la usurpación de hormigueros por parte de las reinas fundadoras (Howe et al, 2018). Por esto, se infiere que la asociación entre las hormigas y hongos dependerá de las cepas fúngicas que se encuentren en el área que habitan las hormigas, la frecuencia en la que se den las transferencias y de que la combinación que se encuentre espacialmente sea favorecida por las fuerzas de selección (Mueller et al, 1998(Mueller et al, , 2011b.…”

Section: Características De La Simbiosisunclassified

“…Las evidencias actuales y estos resultados sugieren que la coevolución apareada propuesta (Chapela et al, 1994;Mueller et al, 1998Mueller et al, , 2001Schultz & Brady, 2008) sería de tipo difuso, y que los mecanismos de intercambio de simbiontes serían muy frecuentes (Howe et al, 2018). Por ello, se piensa que la relación simbiótica especialista de hormigas que cultivan un único simbionte fúngico (Mikheyev et al, 2006) no sería tal, sino que diversos hongos serían cultivados por hormigas diferentes, como resultado de la transferencia de cultivares entre especies y géneros diversos de hormigas cultivadoras (Mueller et al, 2018).…”

Section: Características De La Simbiosisunclassified

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Hongos simbiontes de hormigas cortadoras de hojas del género Acromyrmex en bosques secos del centro de Argentina

Pelissero

Kuhar

Pereyra

et al. 2021

Darwiniana, nueva serie

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Fungi associated with leaf-cutter ants (LCAs) play a fundamental role in Neotropical ecosystems. The association with fungi allows LCAs to be the dominant herbivores and in this way influence ecological processes. In order to know the taxonomic diversity of fungal symbionts associated with LCAs, ten sampling sites were selected corresponding to the Chaqueño Serrano district and the Algarrobo district. Samples of fungi grown by leaf cutter ants were collected, a part of the fungal material was grown in potato agar culture medium with dextrose and another was stored in a CTAB buffer. Subsequently, amplifications of the ITS1, ITS2 and 5.8S ribosomal gene were carried out. A phylogenetic analysis (Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian) was performed with the sequences. Results show that the leaf cutter ants in the sampled region cultivate symbiotic fungi of two well-differentiated phylogenetic clades (known as A and B). The agar cultures showed a slow growth, with development of globose structures named gongylidia that are grouped together forming staphyla (clusters). Among the ants studied, Acromyrmex striatus is associated with fungi from both clades. In the Espinal forest (Algarrobo district) A. striatus was found associated with clade B fungi (Leucocoprinus sp.) and in the Chaco Serrano (Chaqueño Serrano district) with clade A fungi (Leucocoprinus gongylophorus). While Acromyrmex crassispinus and A. heyeri included in the study exclusively cultivate L. gongylophorus from clade A fungi regardless of the region they inhabit. In addition, the first molecular identification of the fungus L. gongylophorus cultivated by Acromyrmex silvestrii is reported.

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“…We, therefore, expect that switching between fungal cultivars will most likely occur between generations because when the fungus is established within the colony the chance of it being outcompeted by an invading fungus is presumably low. In fungus-growing ants it has recently been observed that queens may lose their symbionts and are able to obtain a new symbiont from neighbouring fungus gardens (Howe, Schiøtt, and Boomsma 2018). Similarly, fungus-growing ants in the genus Cyphomyrmex are able to reobtain their symbiont if they accidentally lose it by stealing it from other colonies (Adams et al 2000).…”

Section: Host-specificitymentioning

confidence: 99%

On the origin of species in Termitomyces

Peppel¹,

Jan²

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Table of contents Chapter General introduction 7 Chapter Ancestral predisposition toward a domesticated 19 lifestyle in the termite-cultivated fungus Termitomyces Chapter Genetic population structure of the agaric 45 Blastosporella zonata reveals cryptic species and different roles for sexual and asexual spores in dispersal Chapter Four new genera and six new species of 59 Lyophylloid agarics (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) from three different continents Chapter Species and speciation in the termite-cultivated 79 fungus Termitomyces Chapter High diversity and low host-specificity of 99 Termitomyces symbionts cultivated by Microtermes spp. indicate frequent symbiont exchange Chapter Termitomyces cryptogamus sp. nov. associated 113 with Macrotermes natalensis in Africa Chapter General discussion 129 References 156 Summary 172 Acknowledgements 176 PE&RC training and education statement 180 General introduction SymbiosisThe word symbiosis is derived from the Greek words 'syn' and 'bios' meaning "living together". In biology it is defined as a close, long-term interaction between two different organisms. Such an interaction can be commensal when one party benefits with a neutral effect on the other party (so no benefit or harm), parasitic, or mutualistic. An example of a commensal interaction are remora fish which attach themselves to sharks and eat food leftovers while the shark does not gain any benefits nor negative effects. Parasitism is usually associated with bacterial, fungal, or viral diseases and ectoparasites live and feed on the host.Examples of this are fleas, lice, ticks or, in the case of plants, root parasites such as broomrapes (Orobanchaceae). In a mutualistic symbiosis both parties receive a benefit. An important example of mutualistic symbiosis is mycorrhiza, a mutualistic symbiosis between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi. The plant provides the fungus with sugars in exchange for minerals. Another similar example are nitrogen fixing Rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules of legumes, which fix nitrogen from the air in exchange for sugars.The main topic of my thesis is insect fungiculture; a mutualistic symbiosis where insects provide a protective growth environment for fungi, in exchange for nutritional benefits. Mutualistic symbioses can be directly linked to major evolutionary innovations (Szathmáry and Maynard-Smith 1995). Lynn Margulis proposed the idea that symbiosis in some cases, over a long time-span could lead to symbiogenesis (Sagan 1967). Symbiogenesis, also known as the endosymbiosis theory, is often used to explain how eukaryotes have evolved. Evidence for this are organelles such as the mitochondrion and the chloroplasts in plants which are thought to have evolved from a free-living prokaryotic ancestor.

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Horizontal partner exchange does not preclude stable mutualism in fungus-growing ants

Cited by 13 publications

References 83 publications

Nutritional niches reveal fundamental domestication trade-offs in fungus-farming ants

Nutritional niches reveal fundamental domestication trade-offs in fungus-farming ants

Hongos simbiontes de hormigas cortadoras de hojas del género Acromyrmex en bosques secos del centro de Argentina

On the origin of species in Termitomyces

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