Abstract
Fungus-growing ants gain access to nutrients stored in plant biomass through their association with a mutualistic fungus they grow for food. This 50 million-year-old obligate mutualism likely facilitated some of these species becoming dominant Neotropical herbivores that can achieve immense colony sizes. Recent culture-independent investigations have shed light on the conversion of plant biomass into nutrients within ant fungus gardens, revealing that this process involves both the fungal cultivar and a symbiotic community of bacteria including Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Pantoea species. Moreover, the genome sequences of the leaf-cutter ants Atta cephalotes and Acromyrmex echinatior have provided key insights into how this symbiosis has shaped the evolution of these ants at a genetic level. Here we summarize the findings of recent research on the microbial community dynamics within fungus-growing ant fungus gardens and discuss their implications for this ancient symbiosis.
Highlights
Symbioses between microbes and metazoans are widespread in nature [1,2,3]
We focus on recent research on the association between fungus-growing ants and their fungus gardens, with an emphasis on how the evolution and ecology of the organisms in this system have been shaped through symbiosis
Evidence that L. gongylophorus can grow on cellulose in pure culture and hydrolyze this polymer efficiently
Summary
Symbioses between microbes and metazoans are widespread in nature [1,2,3] These associations form for a variety of reasons, often the diverse metabolic capabilities of symbiotic microbes allow host organisms to occupy ecological niches that would otherwise be unavailable. These symbioses can involve one or a few symbionts, but many associations in nature involve complex communities of microbes. 7 orders of magnitude more than colonies of the smallest species [14,16] The diversity of these ants and their symbiosis with fungus garden communities have made them a model system for the study of the ecological and evolutionary implications of symbiosis. We discuss how our view of this system has changed with the recent discovery of additional microbial symbionts, and suggest future avenues of research that will yield novel insights into this complex symbiotic system
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