| Grant number: | 19/03087-6 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation |
| Effective date (Start): | May 01, 2019 |
| Effective date (End): | January 31, 2021 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Zoology - Applied Zoology |
| Principal Investigator: | André Rodrigues |
| Grantee: | Aryel Camero Goes |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil |
| Associated research grant: | 12/25299-6 - Integrated studies for leaf cutting control, AP.TEM |
Abstract Due to the high risk of epidemics in their dense aggregations of individuals, social insects have developed individual and group-level defenses against pathogens. Collectively such defensive and altruistic behaviors are termed 'the social immune system' of ant colonies. Leafcutter ants in the genera Atta and Acromyrmex are in constant contact with various fungi that invade their colonies. Thus, ants exhibit a repertoire of defenses to remove these fungi. It is speculated the recognition and response towards these fungi are species-specific, but not generalized. However, there is no study that demonstrated such specificity and how it come to effect. We hypothesized that whether this specificity response exists, then it may be related to the ants ability to learn and recognize parasites from previously exposures with these antagonists. To study these responses, we intent to perform bioassays in colonies of Atta sexdens, immunizing them every fifteen days and follow their responses to spores of different fungi, including saprobes, entomopathogens and mycoparasites. Our quest is for specificity, memory and increase of hygienic actions in immunized colonies. Based on our hypothesis and with the results from derived from this study we intent to elaborate the first explanatory model of social immunity in leaf-cutting ants. | |