Published in Insects
Parasites and their hosts use different strategies to overcome the defenses of the other, often resulting in an evolutionary arms race. Limited animal studies have explored the differential responses of hosts when challenged by differential parasite loads and different developmental stages of a parasite. The fungus-growing ant Trachymyrmex sp. 10 e...
Published in Microbial Ecology
Group-living can promote the evolution of adaptive strategies to prevent and control disease. Fungus-gardening ants must cope with two sets of pathogens, those that afflict the ants themselves and those of their symbiotic fungal gardens. While much research has demonstrated the impact of specialized fungal pathogens that infect ant fungus gardens, ...
Fungus gardens of attine ants harbor a rich microbiome, besides the mutualistic fungus cultivated by these insects for food. Fungi in the genus Escovopsioides were recently described as members of this microbiome. Closely related to the parasitic fungal genus Escovopsis, nothing is known about the biology and the parasitic potential of Escovopsioid...
Fungus gardens of attine ants harbor a rich microbiome, besides the mutualistic fungus cultivated by these insects for food. Fungi in the genus Escovopsioides were recently described as members of this microbiome. Closely related to the parasitic fungal genus Escovopsis, nothing is known about the biology and the parasitic potential of Escovopsioid...
Fungus gardens of attine ants harbor a rich microbiome, besides the mutualistic fungus cultivated by these insects for food. Fungi in the genus Escovopsioides were recently described as members of this microbiome. Closely related to the parasitic fungal genus Escovopsis, nothing is known about the biology and the parasitic potential of Escovopsioid...
Os jardins de fungo das formigas da tribo Attini abrigam uma microbiota diversa, além do fungo mutualista cultivado como alimento por esses insetos. Fungos do gênero Escovopsioides foram recentemente descritos como membros dessa microbiota. Relacionado filogeneticamente com os fungos parasitas Escovopsis, nada se sabe sobre a biologia e o potencial...
Leaf-cutting ants interact with several fungi in addition to the fungal symbiont they cultivate for food. Here, we assessed alien fungal communities in colonies of Atta cephalotes. Fungus garden fragments were sampled from colonies in the Atlantic Rainforest and in a cabruca agrosystem in the state of Bahia (Brazil) in two distinct periods to evalu...
Attine ant nests harbor a diverse and complex microbiota. Such insects have a mutualistic relationship with mutualistic fungus, cultured as food source. However, several microorganisms are also present in attine nests. Within this microbiota, fungi in the genus Escovopsis are considered specific parasites of the mutualistic fungus. Escovopsis is on...
Background: The obligate mutualism between fungus-growing ants and microbial symbionts offers excellent opportunities to study the specificity and stability of multi-species interactions. In addition to cultivating fungus gardens, these ants have domesticated actinomycete bacteria to defend gardens against the fungal parasite Escovopsis and possibl...
Background: The obligate mutualism between fungus-growing ants and microbial symbionts offers excellent opportunities to study the specificity and stability of multi-species interactions. In addition to cultivating fungus gardens, these ants have domesticated actinomycete bacteria to defend gardens against the fungal parasite Escovopsis and possibl...
