- Garden microbiomes of Apterostigma dentigerum and Apterostigma pilosum fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
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Cely T. González , Kristin Saltonstall , Hermógenes Fernández-Marín
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J. Microbiol. 2019;57(10):842-851. Published online August 3, 2019
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-019-8639-0
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 Abstract
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Fungus-growing ants share a complex symbiosis with microbes,
including fungal mutualists, antibiotic-producing bacteria,
and fungal pathogens. The bacterial communities associated
with this symbiosis are poorly understood but likely
play important roles in maintaining the health and function
of fungal gardens. We studied bacterial communities in gardens
of two Apterostigma species, A. dentigerum, and A. pilosum,
using next-generation sequencing to evaluate differences
between the two ant species, their veiled and no-veiled
fungal garden types, and across three collection locations.
We also compared different parts of nests to test for homogeneity
within nests. Enterobacteriaceae dominated gardens
of both species and common OTUs were shared across both
species and nest types. However, differences in community
diversity were detected between ant species, and in the communities
of A. dentigerum veiled and no-veiled nests within
sites. Apterostigma pilosum had a higher proportion of Phyllobacteriaceae
and differed from A. dentigerum in the proportions
of members of the order Clostridiales. Within A. dentigerum,
nests with veiled and no-veiled fungus gardens had
similar taxonomic profiles but differed in the relative abundance
of some groups, with veiled gardens having more Rhodospirillaceae
and Hyphomicrobiaceae, and no-veiled having
more Xanthomonadaceae and certain genera in the Enterobacteriaceae
C. However, bacterial communities in Apterostigma
fungal gardens are highly conserved and resemble
those of the nests of other attine ants with dominant taxa likely
playing a role in biomass degradation and defense. Further
work is required to understand and explain how bacterial
community composition of fungus-growing nests is maintained.
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Citations
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