Genome changes underlying speciation and resilience in leafcutter ants.

• Grant number: 25/04414-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Bacci Junior
• Grantee: Karine Aparecida Felix Ribeiro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, AP.CEPID

Abstract

The speciation of leaf-cutter ants has resulted in Atta sexdens and Atta laevigata, voracious herbivores that have become widespread agricultural pests in the Americas (Hölldobler & Wilson, 2010). Rapid colonization of vast areas resulted in three natural groups for each species, which may constitute new yet not described species for Science (Bacci et al., 2009; Barrera et al., 2022). On the other hand, a very recent speciation process has also resulted in Atta robusta, a shy herbivore, a restricted inhabitant of the Restinga biome that has never been reported as a pest (Teixeira et al., 2003; 2008) and is listed within the extinction-endangered species (Machado et al., 2008). As widespread ants are more resilient, the restricted ones are more susceptible to environmental changes, so climate changes are expected to predominantly affect Atta robusta rather than Atta sexdens or Atta laevigata. This research project will characterize the genetic changes underlying the speciation of leaf-cutter ants by generating and analyzing genomes in six natural groups of pests (i.e., Atta sexdens and Atta laevigata) and one natural group of non-pest species (i.e., Atta robusta). We will search for genes under selective pressures and identify biological functions to reconstruct the phenotypic and functional changes associated with the more resilient pest status. These actions will identify molecular markers that may target the control of leaf-cutting ant pests. The set of markers identified will be more informative for phylogenetic studies than those currently used, providing a more powerful resolution to study the evolution of this critical group of ants.