PhD defence: Suzanne Greby Schmidt

Title: The chemical ecology and defence of the fungus-farming termite symbiosis

Supervisor: Michael Poulsen, Section for Ecology & Evolution, KU

Assessement committee:
Professor Lone Gram, Dept. Biotechnology and Biomedicine, DTU
Associate Professor David Sillam-Dussès, Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Professor Søren Rosendahl, Department of Biology, KU (chair)

Abstract:
The fungus-farming termite symbiosis show extraordinary success in inhibiting environmental pathogens being brought in with foraged plant material, but how is this pathogen pressure on the Termitomyces monoculture managed in the termite nest? What makes the fungus-farming termites successful to the degree that they dominate semi-arid ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia?

These farming insects have long-lived colonies where they keep their fungal cultivars in monoculture, which, together with their social lifestyle, should make them particularly vulnerable to infections. Many mechanisms likely play complementary and integrated roles in defending fungus-farming termites and their mutualists.

The overall objective of this thesis was to improve our understanding on the defensive parameters that allow this long-term symbiosis to be so robust against diseases. I contributed to this in several research chapters, for which I outline concrete objectives and outcomes below.