A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

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A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures. / Masiulionis, Virginia E.; Rabeling, Christian; de Fine Licht, Henrik Hjarvard; Schultz, Ted R.; Bacci Jr., Mauricio; Santos Bezerra, Cintia M.; Pagnocca, Fernando C.

In: PLOS ONE, Vol. 9, No. 8, e103800, 08.2014, p. 1.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Masiulionis, VE, Rabeling, C, de Fine Licht, HH, Schultz, TR, Bacci Jr., M, Santos Bezerra, CM & Pagnocca, FC 2014, 'A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures', PLOS ONE, vol. 9, no. 8, e103800, pp. 1. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103800

APA

Masiulionis, V. E., Rabeling, C., de Fine Licht, H. H., Schultz, T. R., Bacci Jr., M., Santos Bezerra, C. M., & Pagnocca, F. C. (2014). A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures. PLOS ONE, 9(8), 1. [e103800]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103800

Vancouver

Masiulionis VE, Rabeling C, de Fine Licht HH, Schultz TR, Bacci Jr. M, Santos Bezerra CM et al. A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures. PLOS ONE. 2014 Aug;9(8):1. e103800. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103800

Author

Masiulionis, Virginia E. ; Rabeling, Christian ; de Fine Licht, Henrik Hjarvard ; Schultz, Ted R. ; Bacci Jr., Mauricio ; Santos Bezerra, Cintia M. ; Pagnocca, Fernando C. / A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures. In: PLOS ONE. 2014 ; Vol. 9, No. 8. pp. 1.

Bibtex

@article{dd2c0358c1a24105be63c46a7b616e12,
title = "A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures",
abstract = "Attine ants cultivate fungi as their most important food source and in turn the fungus is nourished, protected against harmful microorganisms, and dispersed by the ants. This symbiosis evolved approximately 50–60 million years ago in the late Paleocene or early Eocene, and since its origin attine ants have acquired a variety of fungal mutualists in the Leucocoprineae and the distantly related Pterulaceae. The most specialized symbiotic interaction is referred to as {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}higher agriculture{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} and includes leafcutter ant agriculture in which the ants cultivate the single species Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. Higher agriculture fungal cultivars are characterized by specialized hyphal tip swellings, so-called gongylidia, which are considered a unique, derived morphological adaptation of higher attine fungi thought to be absent in lower attine fungi. Rare reports of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of lower attines exist, but it was never tested whether these represent rare switches of lower attines to L. gonglyphorus cultivars or whether lower attine cultivars occasionally produce gongylidia. Here we describe the occurrence of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of the asexual lower attine ant Mycocepurus smithii. To test whether M. smithii cultivates leafcutter ant fungi or whether lower attine cultivars produce gongylidia, we identified the M. smithii fungus utilizing molecular and morphological methods. Results shows that the gongylidia-like structures of M. smithii gardens are morphologically similar to gongylidia of higher attine fungus gardens and can only be distinguished by their slightly smaller size. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS sequence indicates that the gongylidia-bearing M. smithii cultivar belongs to the so-called {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Clade 1{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}of lower Attini cultivars. Given that M. smithii is capable of cultivating a morphologically and genetically diverse array of fungal symbionts, we discuss whether asexuality of the ant host maybe correlated with low partner fidelity and active symbiont choice between fungus and ant mutualists.",
author = "Masiulionis, {Virginia E.} and Christian Rabeling and {de Fine Licht}, {Henrik Hjarvard} and Schultz, {Ted R.} and {Bacci Jr.}, Mauricio and {Santos Bezerra}, {Cintia M.} and Pagnocca, {Fernando C.}",
year = "2014",
month = aug,
doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0103800",
language = "English",
volume = "9",
pages = "1",
journal = "PLoS ONE",
issn = "1932-6203",
publisher = "Public Library of Science",
number = "8",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Brazilian Population of the Asexual Fungus-Growing Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Attini) Cultivates Fungal Symbionts with Gongylidia-Like Structures

AU - Masiulionis, Virginia E.

AU - Rabeling, Christian

AU - de Fine Licht, Henrik Hjarvard

AU - Schultz, Ted R.

AU - Bacci Jr., Mauricio

AU - Santos Bezerra, Cintia M.

AU - Pagnocca, Fernando C.

PY - 2014/8

Y1 - 2014/8

N2 - Attine ants cultivate fungi as their most important food source and in turn the fungus is nourished, protected against harmful microorganisms, and dispersed by the ants. This symbiosis evolved approximately 50–60 million years ago in the late Paleocene or early Eocene, and since its origin attine ants have acquired a variety of fungal mutualists in the Leucocoprineae and the distantly related Pterulaceae. The most specialized symbiotic interaction is referred to as ‘‘higher agriculture’’ and includes leafcutter ant agriculture in which the ants cultivate the single species Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. Higher agriculture fungal cultivars are characterized by specialized hyphal tip swellings, so-called gongylidia, which are considered a unique, derived morphological adaptation of higher attine fungi thought to be absent in lower attine fungi. Rare reports of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of lower attines exist, but it was never tested whether these represent rare switches of lower attines to L. gonglyphorus cultivars or whether lower attine cultivars occasionally produce gongylidia. Here we describe the occurrence of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of the asexual lower attine ant Mycocepurus smithii. To test whether M. smithii cultivates leafcutter ant fungi or whether lower attine cultivars produce gongylidia, we identified the M. smithii fungus utilizing molecular and morphological methods. Results shows that the gongylidia-like structures of M. smithii gardens are morphologically similar to gongylidia of higher attine fungus gardens and can only be distinguished by their slightly smaller size. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS sequence indicates that the gongylidia-bearing M. smithii cultivar belongs to the so-called ‘‘Clade 1’’of lower Attini cultivars. Given that M. smithii is capable of cultivating a morphologically and genetically diverse array of fungal symbionts, we discuss whether asexuality of the ant host maybe correlated with low partner fidelity and active symbiont choice between fungus and ant mutualists.

AB - Attine ants cultivate fungi as their most important food source and in turn the fungus is nourished, protected against harmful microorganisms, and dispersed by the ants. This symbiosis evolved approximately 50–60 million years ago in the late Paleocene or early Eocene, and since its origin attine ants have acquired a variety of fungal mutualists in the Leucocoprineae and the distantly related Pterulaceae. The most specialized symbiotic interaction is referred to as ‘‘higher agriculture’’ and includes leafcutter ant agriculture in which the ants cultivate the single species Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. Higher agriculture fungal cultivars are characterized by specialized hyphal tip swellings, so-called gongylidia, which are considered a unique, derived morphological adaptation of higher attine fungi thought to be absent in lower attine fungi. Rare reports of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of lower attines exist, but it was never tested whether these represent rare switches of lower attines to L. gonglyphorus cultivars or whether lower attine cultivars occasionally produce gongylidia. Here we describe the occurrence of gongylidia-like structures in fungus gardens of the asexual lower attine ant Mycocepurus smithii. To test whether M. smithii cultivates leafcutter ant fungi or whether lower attine cultivars produce gongylidia, we identified the M. smithii fungus utilizing molecular and morphological methods. Results shows that the gongylidia-like structures of M. smithii gardens are morphologically similar to gongylidia of higher attine fungus gardens and can only be distinguished by their slightly smaller size. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS sequence indicates that the gongylidia-bearing M. smithii cultivar belongs to the so-called ‘‘Clade 1’’of lower Attini cultivars. Given that M. smithii is capable of cultivating a morphologically and genetically diverse array of fungal symbionts, we discuss whether asexuality of the ant host maybe correlated with low partner fidelity and active symbiont choice between fungus and ant mutualists.

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0103800

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0103800

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25101899

VL - 9

SP - 1

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

SN - 1932-6203

IS - 8

M1 - e103800

ER -

ID: 120388658