| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Martiarena, Maria Jesus Sutta
;
Deveau, Aurelie
;
Montoya, Quimi Vidaurre
;
Florez, Laura V.
;
Rodrigues, Andre
Total Authors: 5
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | MICROBIAL ECOLOGY; v. N/A, p. 16-pg., 2023-02-09. |
| Abstract | |
Bacteria can live in a variety of interkingdom communities playing key ecological roles. The microbiome of leaf-cutting attine ant colonies are a remarkable example of such communities, as they support ants' metabolic processes and the maintenance of ant-fungus gardens. Studies on this topic have explored the bacterial community of the whole fungus garden, without discerning bacterial groups associated with the nutrient storage structures (gongylidia) of ant fungal cultivars. Here we studied bacteria isolated from the surface of gongylidia in the cultivars of Atta sexdens and Acromyrmex coronatus, to assess whether the bacterial community influences the biology of the fungus. A total of 10 bacterial strains were isolated from gongylidia (Bacillus sp., Lysinibacillus sp., Niallia sp., Staphylococcus sp., Paenibacillus sp., Pantoea sp., Staphylococcus sp., and one Actinobacteria). Some bacterial isolates increased gongylidia production and fungal biomass while others had inhibitory effects. Eight bacterial strains were confirmed to form biofilm-like structures on the fungal cultivar hyphae. They also showed auxiliary metabolic functions useful for the development of the fungal garden such as phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, cellulose and chitin degradation, and antifungal activity against antagonists of the fungal cultivar. Bacteria-bacteria interaction assays revealed heterogeneous behaviors including synergism and competition, which might contribute to regulate the community structure inside the garden. Our results suggest that bacteria and the ant fungal cultivar interact directly, across a continuum of positive and negative interactions within the community. These complex relationships could ultimately contribute to the stability of the ant-fungus mutualism. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 21/04706-1 - Unraveling the origin of the parasitic fungus Escovopsis |
| Grantee: | Quimi Vidaurre Montoya |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| FAPESP's process: | 19/03746-0 - Collaborative research: Dimensions US-São Paulo: integrating phylogeny, genetics, and chemical ecology to unravel the tangled bank of the multipartite fungus-farming ant symbiosis |
| Grantee: | André Rodrigues |
| Support Opportunities: | BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 17/12689-4 - Host-specificity and mechanisms of action of Escovopsis parasites found in the gardens of attine ants |
| Grantee: | André Rodrigues |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/24298-1 - Phylogeny of fungal parasites in gardens of attine ants |
| Grantee: | André Rodrigues |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |