Bacterial microbiomes from vertically transmitted fungal inocula of the leaf-cutting ant Atta texana

Bacterial microbiomes from vertically transmitted fungal inocula of the leaf-cutting ant Atta texana

Summary Microbiome surveys provide clues for the functional roles of symbiotic microbial communities and their hosts. In this study, we elucidated bacterial microbiomes associated with the vertically transmitted fungal inocula (pellets) used by foundress queens of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta texana as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental microbiology reports Vol. 8; no. 5; pp. 630 - 640
Main Authors: Meirelles, Lucas A., McFrederick, Quinn S., Rodrigues, Andre, Mantovani, Joana D., de Melo Rodovalho, Cynara, Ferreira, Henrique, Bacci Jr, Maurício, Mueller, Ulrich G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2016
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Subjects:
16S rDNA sequencing
Abdomen
Atta texana
attine ants
Bacteria
bacterial communities
Cutting
Cuttings
Entomoplasmatales
Females
Fungi
Gardens
Gardens & gardening
Leaves
Mesoplasma
Microbial activity
Microbiomes
microbiota
Microorganisms
Nests
Pellets
Queens
Surveys
Thorax
United States > US
Texas
microbiota
16S rDNA sequencing
attine ants
bacterial communities
Mesoplasma
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Summary:Summary Microbiome surveys provide clues for the functional roles of symbiotic microbial communities and their hosts. In this study, we elucidated bacterial microbiomes associated with the vertically transmitted fungal inocula (pellets) used by foundress queens of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta texana as starter‐cultures for new gardens. As reference microbiomes, we also surveyed bacterial microbiomes of foundress queens, gardens and brood of incipient nests. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Propionibacterium and Corynebacterium were consistently present in high abundance in microbiomes. Some pellet and ant samples contained abundant bacteria from an Entomoplasmatales‐clade, and a separate PCR‐based survey of Entomoplasmatales bacteria in eight attine ant‐genera from Brazil placed these bacteria in a monophyletic clade within the bacterial genus Mesoplasma. The attine ant‐Mesoplasma association parallels a similar association between a closely related, monophyletic Entomoplasmatales‐clade and army ants. Of thirteen A. texana nests surveyed, three nests with exceptionally high Mesoplasma abundance died, whereas the other nests survived. It is unclear whether Mesoplasma was the primary cause of mortality, or Mesoplasma became abundant in moribund nests for non‐pathogenic reasons. However, the consistent and geographically widespread presence of Mesoplasma suggests an important functional role in the association with attine ants.
Bibliography:istex:9BC0A6783EB29D921AEEF51EA41E5E8D6F783628
ArticleID:EMI412415
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ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1758-2229
1758-2229
DOI:10.1111/1758-2229.12415