Morphophysiological differences between the metapleural glands of fungus-growing and non-fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2012 The metapleural gland is an organ exclusive to ants. Its main role is to produce secretions that inhibit the proliferation of different types of pathogens.
Alexsandro Santana Vieira +2 more
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Pseudonocardia Symbionts of Fungus-Growing Ants and the Evolution of Defensive Secondary Metabolism [PDF]
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2020 Actinobacteria belonging to the genus Pseudonocardia have evolved a close relationship with multiple species of fungus-growing ants, where these bacteria produce diverse secondary metabolites that protect the ants and their fungal mutualists from disease.
Sarah L. Goldstein, Jonathan L. Klassen
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Reconstructing the functions of endosymbiotic Mollicutes in fungus-growing ants [PDF]
eLife, 2018 Mollicutes, a widespread class of bacteria associated with animals and plants, were recently identified as abundant abdominal endosymbionts in healthy workers of attine fungus-farming leaf-cutting ants.
Panagiotis Sapountzis +4 more
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Disease management in two sympatric Apterostigma fungus‐growing ants for controlling the parasitic fungus Escovopsis [PDF]
Ecology and Evolution, 2021 Antagonistic interactions between host and parasites are often embedded in networks of interacting species, in which hosts may be attacked by competing parasites species, and parasites may infect more than one host species.
Yuliana Christopher +5 more
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Novel killer yeasts and toxins from the gardens of fungus-growing ants [PDF]
Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyKiller toxins are proteinaceous antifungal molecules produced by yeasts, with activity against a wide range of human and plant pathogenic fungi. Fungus gardens of attine ants in Brazil were surveyed to determine the presence of killer toxin-producing ...
Rodolfo Bizarria +12 more
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Digging into the evolutionary history of the fungus-growing-ant symbiont, Escovopsis (Hypocreaceae) [PDF]
Communications BiologySymbiotic relationships shape the evolution of organisms. Fungi in the genus Escovopsis share an evolutionary history with the fungus-growing “attine” ant system and are only found in association with these social insects. Despite this close relationship,
Quimi Vidaurre Montoya +7 more
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mBio, 2021 Many fungus-growing ants engage in a defensive symbiosis with antibiotic-producing ectosymbiotic bacteria in the genus Pseudonocardia, which help protect the ants’ fungal mutualist from a specialized mycoparasite, Escovopsis.
Gaspar Bruner-Montero +5 more
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Cytogenetic analysis of some species of Cyphomyrmex Mayr, 1862 and Apterostigma Mayr, 1865 (Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from the Guiana Shield [PDF]
Comparative CytogeneticsAnts are present in different environments and regions of the planet, showing little-known biodiversity in the Neotropics, especially among fungus-growing ants (the subtribe Attina).
Rodrigo Batista Lod +5 more
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Isolation and characterization of mollicute symbionts from a fungus-growing ant reveals high niche overlap leading to co-exclusion [PDF]
mBioTwo mollicute species belonging to the Mesoplasma and Spiroplasma genera have been detected in several species of fungus-growing ants using molecular methods. However, their ecological roles remain largely inferred from metagenomic data.
Emily A. Green +2 more
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Bacterial communities of fungus-growing ant queens are species-specific and suggest vertical transmission. [PDF]
PLoS ONEMultipartite symbioses are inherently complex, involving dynamic ecological interactions between organisms with intertwined yet distinct evolutionary histories.
Victoria A Sadowski +4 more
doaj +2 more sources