Phylogeny of fungal parasites in gardens of attine ants

• Grant number: 14/24298-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: André Rodrigues
• Grantee: André Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Rio Claro
• Associated researchers: Christian Rabeling ; Fernando Carlos Pagnocca ; Heraldo Luis de Vasconcelos ; Mauricio Bacci Junior

Abstract

Ants in the tribe Attini maintain a mutualism with fungi cultivated for food. The fungal cultivar is the target of a specialized fungal parasite in the genus Escovopsis. Previous work carried out by our research group (FAPESP-JP grant # 2011/16765-0 and 2013/25748-8) unraveled the diversity of this parasite that infects gardens of leaf-cutting ants, as well as the high degree of shared infections among leafcutters and higher-attine ants. Additionally, we also observed striking morphological characteristics (i.e. presence of a vesicle in the reproductive asexual structures) that differentiate strains of the parasite that infects higher-attine and lower-attine gardens. In this proposal, we intend to study Escovopsis infecting fungus gardens of Apterostigma ants. Such parasites are of particular interest because they are a transition group in the evolution of Escovopsis that infects gardens of higher and lower-attine ants. Given this scenario of evolutionary transition, we propose to answer the following questions: (i) Escovopsis strains that infect gardens of higher-attine ants also infect Apterostigma gardens? And: (ii) Are the morphological markers from Escovopsis infecting gardens from higher attines also present in Escovopsis infecting Apterostigma gardens? To answer these questions we intend to sample parasites that infect gardens of these ants, to analyze the morphological characteristics (presence or absence of vesicles) and sequence three molecular markers (ITS, LSU and TEF1) to develop a multilocus phylogeny of the parasite. The results of this proposal will help to understand the dynamics of the parasite and its switches between phylogenetically unrelated attine ants (higher and lower attines). Furthermore, assessing the morphology of these fungi will possibly verify if vesicles is a unique morphological adaptation of Escovopsis infecting gardens of higher-attine ants. Such adaptation can be related to the type of fungiculture practiced by these attines, including the leaf-cuting ants, considered a major agricultural pest in our country. Understanding the nature of this adaptation may help to unravel the mechanisms of Escovopsis parasitism. (AU)

Scientific publications

(9)

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

MONTOYA, QUIMI VIDAURRE; GERARDO, NICOLE MARIE; MARTIARENA, MARIA JESUS SUTTA; SOLIS-LEMUS, CLAUDIA; KRIEBEL, RICARDO; SCHULTZ, TED R.; SOSA-CALVO, JEFFREY; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. Digging into the evolutionary history of the fungus-growing-ant symbiont, Escovopsis (Hypocreaceae). COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, v. 8, n. 1, p. 11-pg., 2025-09-10. (17/12689-4, 21/04706-1, 18/07931-3, 16/04955-3, 14/24298-1, 19/03746-0)

MONTOYA, Q. V.; MARTIARENA, M. J. S.; RODRIGUES, A.. Taxonomy and systematics of the fungus-growing ant associate Escovopsis (Hypocreaceae). STUDIES IN MYCOLOGY, v. 106, p. 50-pg., 2023-12-01. (14/24298-1, 16/04955-3, 17/12689-4, 21/04706-1, 18/07931-3, 19/03746-0)

MONTOYA, QUIMI VIDAURRE; SUTTA MARTIARENA, MARIA JESUS; POLEZEL, DANILO AUGUSTO; KAKAZU, SERGIO; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. More pieces to a huge puzzle: Two new Escovopsis species from fungus gardens of attine ants. MYCOKEYS, n. 46, p. 97-118, FEB 18 2019. (16/04955-3, 14/24298-1, 17/12689-4)

SOSA-CALVO, J.; JESOVNIK, A.; LOPES, C. T.; RODRIGUES, A.; RABELING, C.; BACCI, JR., M.; VASCONCELOS, H. L.; SCHULTZ, T. R.. Biology of the relict fungus-farming ant Apterostigma megacephala Lattke, including descriptions of the male, gyne, and larva. Insectes Sociaux, v. 64, n. 3, p. 329-346, AUG 2017. (14/24298-1)

CUSTODIO, BRUNA CRISTINA; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. Escovopsis kreiselii specialization to its native hosts in the fungiculture of the lower attine ant Mycetophylax morschi. ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENERAL AND MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, v. 112, n. 2, p. 305-317, FEB 2019. (14/24298-1, 15/15299-7)

OSTI, JULIO FLAVIO; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. Escovopsioides as a fungal antagonist of the fungus cultivated by leafcutter ants. BMC Microbiology, v. 18, OCT 10 2018. (14/24298-1)

MONTOYA, QUIMI VIDAURRE; SUTTA MARTIARENA, MARIA JESUS; BIZARRIA JR, RODOLFO; GERARDO, NICOLE MARIE; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. Fungi inhabiting attine ant colonies: reassessment of the genus Escovopsis and description of Luteomyces and Sympodiorosea gens. nov.. IMA FUNGUS, v. 12, n. 1, AUG 24 2021. (19/03746-0, 14/24298-1, 18/07931-3, 17/12689-4, 16/04955-3)

MONTOYA, QUIMI VIDAURRE; SUTTA MARTIARENA, MARIA JESUS; POLEZEL, DANILO AUGUSTO; KAKAZU, SERGIO; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. More pieces to a huge puzzle: Two new Escovopsis species from fungus gardens of attine ants. MYCOKEYS, v. N/A, n. 46, p. 22-pg., 2019-02-18. (14/24298-1, 17/12689-4, 16/04955-3)

MARTIARENA, MARIA JESUS SUTTA; DEVEAU, AURELIE; MONTOYA, QUIMI VIDAURRE; FLOREZ, LAURA V.; RODRIGUES, ANDRE. The Hyphosphere of Leaf-Cutting Ant Cultivars Is Enriched with Helper Bacteria. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY, v. N/A, p. 16-pg., 2023-02-09. (21/04706-1, 19/03746-0, 17/12689-4, 14/24298-1)