POTENTIAL ECOLOGICAL ROLES OF A FILAMENTOUS FUNGI ISOLATED FROM NESTS OF Anoplotermes pacificus (TERMITIDAE: APICOTERMITINAE)

• Grant number: 23/04169-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Fabiana Elaine Casarin dos Santos
• Grantee: Luana Camargo Matos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Termites are eusocial insects whose evolutionary success is strongly linked with their ability to interact with a diverse array of microorganisms, with interactions that can be either mutualist or antagonistic. Among these interactions, mutualism between termites and fungi can be classified as mandatory or facultative mutualism, where the presence of the microorganism favors the colony's survivorship while the insects offer or do not benefit the fungi. However, there are entomopathogenic fungi that can cause disease in termites, leading to rare but potential death of termites mounds. The construction of termite nests creates internal conditions suitable for termite survival, providing an environment that support the growth of certain fungi species, allowing that can either benefit or harm the survival of the colony. Thus, this work aims to investigate the interactions are between the termite's workers and the filamentous fungi C4, which was isolated from the roots of A. pacificus nests. Ultimately, this project aims to report what type of interaction occurring between the C4 fungi isolated from the roots of A. pacificus's nests and their colony. In case of a positive interaction, with phagostimulant effect, or a negative, with entomopathogenic reaction, both results could provide valuable insights into the biology of this Atlantic Forest termite species and its potential application in the managing other termites species considered pests.