Journal
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY
Volume 27, Issue 10, Pages 2414-2434Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/mec.14588
Keywords
fungus-growing ant; host-microbe evolution; key innovation; mutualism; symbiosis
Funding
- CNPq [302777/2003-2]
- National Science Foundation [0407772, 0701233, 0110073, 0639879, 0919519, 0949689, 1354666]
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo [03/08112-0, 14/25507-3]
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [0949689, 0919519, 0110073, 1354666] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [0407772, 0639879] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Office Of The Director
- Office Of Internatl Science &Engineering [0701233] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [14/25507-3] Funding Source: FAPESP
Ask authors/readers for more resources
To elucidate fungicultural specializations contributing to ecological dominance of leafcutter ants, we estimate the phylogeny of fungi cultivated by fungus-growing (attine) ants, including fungal cultivars from (i) the entire leafcutter range from southern South America to southern North America, (ii) all higher-attine ant lineages (leafcutting genera Atta, Acromyrmex; nonleafcutting genera Trachymyrmex, Sericomyrmex) and (iii) all lower-attine lineages. Higher-attine fungi form two clades, Clade-A fungi (Leucocoprinus gongylophorus, formerly Attamyces) previously thought to be cultivated only by leafcutter ants, and a sister clade, Clade-B fungi, previously thought to be cultivated only by Trachymyrmex and Sericomyrmex ants. Contradicting this traditional view, we find that (i) leafcutter ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-A fungi because some leafcutter species ranging across South America cultivate Clade-B fungi; (ii) Trachymyrmex ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-B fungi because some Trachymyrmex species cultivate Clade-A fungi and other Trachymyrmex species cultivate fungi known so far only from lower-attine ants; (iii) in some locations, single higher-attine ant species or closely related cryptic species cultivate both Clade-A and Clade-B fungi; and (iv) ant-fungus co-evolution among higher-attine mutualisms is therefore less specialized than previously thought. Sympatric leafcutter ants can be ecologically dominant when cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi, sustaining with either cultivar-type huge nests that command large foraging territories; conversely, sympatric Trachymyrmex ants cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi can be locally abundant without achieving the ecological dominance of leafcutter ants. Ecological dominance of leafcutter ants therefore does not depend primarily on specialized fungiculture of L. gongylophorus (Clade-A), but must derive from ant-fungus synergisms and unique ant adaptations.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available