Symbiont recognition of mutualistic bacteria by Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Standard
Symbiont recognition of mutualistic bacteria by Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants. / Zhang, Mingzi M.; Poulsen, Michael; Currie, Cameron R.
In: I S M E Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2007, p. 313-20.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Symbiont recognition of mutualistic bacteria by Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants
AU - Zhang, Mingzi M.
AU - Poulsen, Michael
AU - Currie, Cameron R.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Symbiont choice has been proposed to play an important role in shaping many symbiotic relationships, including the fungus-growing ant-microbe mutualism. Over millions of years, fungus-growing ants have defended their fungus gardens from specialized parasites with antibiotics produced by an actinomycete bacterial mutualist (genus Pseudonocardia). Despite the potential of being infected by phylogenetically diverse strains of parasites, each ant colony maintains only a single Pseudonocardia symbiont strain, which is primarily vertically transmitted between colonies by the founding queens. In this study, we show that Acromyrmex leaf-cutter ants are able to differentiate between their native actinomycete strain and a variety of foreign strains isolated from sympatric and allopatric Acromyrmex species, in addition to strains originating from other fungus-growing ant genera. The recognition mechanism is sufficiently sensitive for the ants to discriminate between closely related symbiont strains. Our findings suggest that symbiont recognition may play a crucial role in the fungus-growing ant-bacterium mutualism, likely allowing the ants to retain ecological flexibility necessary for defending their garden from diverse parasites and, at the same time, resolve potential conflict that can arise from rearing competing symbiont strains.
AB - Symbiont choice has been proposed to play an important role in shaping many symbiotic relationships, including the fungus-growing ant-microbe mutualism. Over millions of years, fungus-growing ants have defended their fungus gardens from specialized parasites with antibiotics produced by an actinomycete bacterial mutualist (genus Pseudonocardia). Despite the potential of being infected by phylogenetically diverse strains of parasites, each ant colony maintains only a single Pseudonocardia symbiont strain, which is primarily vertically transmitted between colonies by the founding queens. In this study, we show that Acromyrmex leaf-cutter ants are able to differentiate between their native actinomycete strain and a variety of foreign strains isolated from sympatric and allopatric Acromyrmex species, in addition to strains originating from other fungus-growing ant genera. The recognition mechanism is sufficiently sensitive for the ants to discriminate between closely related symbiont strains. Our findings suggest that symbiont recognition may play a crucial role in the fungus-growing ant-bacterium mutualism, likely allowing the ants to retain ecological flexibility necessary for defending their garden from diverse parasites and, at the same time, resolve potential conflict that can arise from rearing competing symbiont strains.
KW - Actinomycetales
KW - Animals
KW - Ants
KW - Bacterial Proteins
KW - Biological Evolution
KW - Molecular Sequence Data
KW - Peptide Elongation Factor Tu
KW - Phylogeny
KW - RNA, Bacterial
KW - RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
KW - Species Specificity
KW - Symbiosis
U2 - 10.1038/ismej.2007.41
DO - 10.1038/ismej.2007.41
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 18043642
VL - 1
SP - 313
EP - 320
JO - I S M E Journal
JF - I S M E Journal
SN - 1751-7362
IS - 4
ER -
ID: 33078365