Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Goes, Aryel C. [UNESP]
Data de Publicação: 2022
Outros Autores: Kooij, Pepijn W. [UNESP], Culot, Laurence [UNESP], Bueno, Odair C. [UNESP], Rodrigues, Andre [UNESP]
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9112
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/240556
Resumo: Leaf-cutting ants and their fungal crops are a textbook example of a long-term obligatory mutualism. Many microbes continuously enter their nest containing the fungal cultivars, destabilizing the symbiosis and, in some cases, outcompeting the mutualistic partners. Preferably, the ant workers should distinguish between different microorganisms to respond according to their threat level and recurrence in the colony. To address these assumptions, we investigated how workers of Atta sexdens sanitize their fungal crop toward five different fungi commonly isolated from the fungus gardens: Escovopsis sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma spirale, and Syncephalastrum sp. Also, to investigate the plasticity of these responses toward recurrences of these fungi, we exposed the colonies with each fungus three times fourteen days apart. As expected, intensities in sanitization differed according to the fungal species. Ants significantly groom their fungal crop more toward F. oxysporum, M. anisopliae, and Syncephalastrum sp. than toward Escovopsis sp. and T. spirale. Weeding, self-, and allogrooming were observed in less frequency than fungus grooming in all cases. Moreover, we detected a significant increase in the overall responses after repeated exposures for each fungus, except for Escovopsis sp. Our results indicate that A. sexdens workers are able to distinguish between different fungi and apply distinct responses to remove these from the fungus gardens. Our findings also suggest that successive exposures to the same antagonist increase hygiene, indicating plasticity of ant colonies' defenses to previously encountered pathogens.
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spelling Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposuresAtta sexdensdiseasepathogenssecondary exposuressocial immunityLeaf-cutting ants and their fungal crops are a textbook example of a long-term obligatory mutualism. Many microbes continuously enter their nest containing the fungal cultivars, destabilizing the symbiosis and, in some cases, outcompeting the mutualistic partners. Preferably, the ant workers should distinguish between different microorganisms to respond according to their threat level and recurrence in the colony. To address these assumptions, we investigated how workers of Atta sexdens sanitize their fungal crop toward five different fungi commonly isolated from the fungus gardens: Escovopsis sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma spirale, and Syncephalastrum sp. Also, to investigate the plasticity of these responses toward recurrences of these fungi, we exposed the colonies with each fungus three times fourteen days apart. As expected, intensities in sanitization differed according to the fungal species. Ants significantly groom their fungal crop more toward F. oxysporum, M. anisopliae, and Syncephalastrum sp. than toward Escovopsis sp. and T. spirale. Weeding, self-, and allogrooming were observed in less frequency than fungus grooming in all cases. Moreover, we detected a significant increase in the overall responses after repeated exposures for each fungus, except for Escovopsis sp. Our results indicate that A. sexdens workers are able to distinguish between different fungi and apply distinct responses to remove these from the fungus gardens. Our findings also suggest that successive exposures to the same antagonist increase hygiene, indicating plasticity of ant colonies' defenses to previously encountered pathogens.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Department of General and Applied Biology São Paulo State University (UNESP)Department of Biodiversity São Paulo State University (UNESP)Department of General and Applied Biology São Paulo State University (UNESP)Department of Biodiversity São Paulo State University (UNESP)FAPESP: 2012/25299-6FAPESP: 2019/03087-6FAPESP: 2019/03746-0CNPq: 305269/2018-6CAPES: 88887.310463/2018-00CAPES: 88887.468939/2019-00CAPES: 88887.571230/2020-00Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)Goes, Aryel C. [UNESP]Kooij, Pepijn W. [UNESP]Culot, Laurence [UNESP]Bueno, Odair C. [UNESP]Rodrigues, Andre [UNESP]2023-03-01T20:22:31Z2023-03-01T20:22:31Z2022-07-01info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9112Ecology and Evolution, v. 12, n. 7, 2022.2045-7758http://hdl.handle.net/11449/24055610.1002/ece3.91122-s2.0-85135061026Scopusreponame:Repositório Institucional da UNESPinstname:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)instacron:UNESPengEcology and Evolutioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess2023-03-01T20:22:31Zoai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/240556Repositório InstitucionalPUBhttp://repositorio.unesp.br/oai/requestopendoar:29462024-08-05T16:31:13.771358Repositório Institucional da UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
title Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
spellingShingle Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
Goes, Aryel C. [UNESP]
Atta sexdens
disease
pathogens
secondary exposures
social immunity
title_short Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
title_full Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
title_fullStr Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
title_full_unstemmed Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
title_sort Distinct and enhanced hygienic responses of a leaf-cutting ant toward repeated fungi exposures
author Goes, Aryel C. [UNESP]
author_facet Goes, Aryel C. [UNESP]
Kooij, Pepijn W. [UNESP]
Culot, Laurence [UNESP]
Bueno, Odair C. [UNESP]
Rodrigues, Andre [UNESP]
author_role author
author2 Kooij, Pepijn W. [UNESP]
Culot, Laurence [UNESP]
Bueno, Odair C. [UNESP]
Rodrigues, Andre [UNESP]
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Goes, Aryel C. [UNESP]
Kooij, Pepijn W. [UNESP]
Culot, Laurence [UNESP]
Bueno, Odair C. [UNESP]
Rodrigues, Andre [UNESP]
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Atta sexdens
disease
pathogens
secondary exposures
social immunity
topic Atta sexdens
disease
pathogens
secondary exposures
social immunity
description Leaf-cutting ants and their fungal crops are a textbook example of a long-term obligatory mutualism. Many microbes continuously enter their nest containing the fungal cultivars, destabilizing the symbiosis and, in some cases, outcompeting the mutualistic partners. Preferably, the ant workers should distinguish between different microorganisms to respond according to their threat level and recurrence in the colony. To address these assumptions, we investigated how workers of Atta sexdens sanitize their fungal crop toward five different fungi commonly isolated from the fungus gardens: Escovopsis sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma spirale, and Syncephalastrum sp. Also, to investigate the plasticity of these responses toward recurrences of these fungi, we exposed the colonies with each fungus three times fourteen days apart. As expected, intensities in sanitization differed according to the fungal species. Ants significantly groom their fungal crop more toward F. oxysporum, M. anisopliae, and Syncephalastrum sp. than toward Escovopsis sp. and T. spirale. Weeding, self-, and allogrooming were observed in less frequency than fungus grooming in all cases. Moreover, we detected a significant increase in the overall responses after repeated exposures for each fungus, except for Escovopsis sp. Our results indicate that A. sexdens workers are able to distinguish between different fungi and apply distinct responses to remove these from the fungus gardens. Our findings also suggest that successive exposures to the same antagonist increase hygiene, indicating plasticity of ant colonies' defenses to previously encountered pathogens.
publishDate 2022
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2022-07-01
2023-03-01T20:22:31Z
2023-03-01T20:22:31Z
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9112
Ecology and Evolution, v. 12, n. 7, 2022.
2045-7758
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/240556
10.1002/ece3.9112
2-s2.0-85135061026
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9112
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/240556
identifier_str_mv Ecology and Evolution, v. 12, n. 7, 2022.
2045-7758
10.1002/ece3.9112
2-s2.0-85135061026
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Ecology and Evolution
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Scopus
reponame:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
instname:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
instacron:UNESP
instname_str Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
instacron_str UNESP
institution UNESP
reponame_str Repositório Institucional da UNESP
collection Repositório Institucional da UNESP
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Institucional da UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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