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Barrajon-Santos V, Nepel M, Hausmann B, Voglmayr H, Woebken D, Mayer VE. Dynamics and drivers of fungal communities in a multipartite ant-plant association. BMC Biol 2024; 22:112. [PMID: 38745290 PMCID: PMC11093746 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01897-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fungi and ants belong to the most important organisms in terrestrial ecosystems on Earth. In nutrient-poor niches of tropical rainforests, they have developed steady ecological relationships as a successful survival strategy. In tropical ant-plant mutualisms worldwide, where resident ants provide the host plants with defense and nutrients in exchange for shelter and food, fungi are regularly found in the ant nesting space, inhabiting ant-made dark-colored piles ("patches"). Unlike the extensively investigated fungus-growing insects, where the fungi serve as the primary food source, the purpose of this ant-fungi association is less clear. To decipher the roles of fungi in these structures within ant nests, it is crucial to first understand the dynamics and drivers that influence fungal patch communities during ant colony development. RESULTS In this study, we investigated how the ant colony age and the ant-plant species affect the fungal community in the patches. As model we selected one of the most common mutualisms in the Tropics of America, the Azteca-Cecropia complex. By amplicon sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region, we analyzed the patch fungal communities of 93 Azteca spp. colonies inhabiting Cecropia spp. trees. Our study demonstrates that the fungal diversity in patches increases as the ant colony grows and that a change in the prevalent fungal taxa occurs between initial and established patches. In addition, the ant species significantly influences the composition of the fungal community in established ant colonies, rather than the host plant species. CONCLUSIONS The fungal patch communities become more complex as the ant colony develops, due to an acquisition of fungi from the environment and a substrate diversification. Our results suggest a successional progression of the fungal communities in the patches during ant colony growth and place the ant colony as the main driver shaping such communities. The findings of this study demonstrate the unexpectedly complex nature of ant-plant mutualisms in tropical regions at a micro scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Barrajon-Santos
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Doctoral School in Microbiology and Environmental Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Maximilian Nepel
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Present Address: Plant Health and Environment Laboratory, Ministry for Primary Industries, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Bela Hausmann
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Laboratory Medicine Division of Clinical Microbiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Veronika E Mayer
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Mayer VE, Voglmayr H, Blatrix R, Orivel J, Leroy C. Fungi as mutualistic partners in ant-plant interactions. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY 2023; 4:1213997. [PMID: 37850069 PMCID: PMC10577302 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2023.1213997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Associations between fungi and ants living in mutualistic relationship with plants ("plant-ants") have been known for a long time. However, only in recent years has the mutualistic nature, frequency, and geographical extent of associations between tropical arboreal ants with fungi of the ascomycete order Chaetothyriales and Capnodiales (belonging to the so-called "Black Fungi") become clear. Two groups of arboreal ants displaying different nesting strategies are associated with ascomycete fungi: carton-building ants that construct nest walls and galleries on stems, branches or below leaves which are overgrown by fungal hyphae, and plant-ants that make their nests inside living plants (myrmecophytes) in plant provided cavities (domatia) where ants cultivate fungi in small delimited "patches". In this review we summarize the current knowledge about these unsuspected plant-ant-fungus interactions. The data suggest, that at least some of these ant-associated fungi seem to have coevolved with ants over a long period of time and have developed specific adaptations to this lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika E. Mayer
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research – Division of Structural and Functional Botany, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research – Mycology Research Group, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Rumsais Blatrix
- CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Jérôme Orivel
- EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
| | - Céline Leroy
- EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
- AMAP, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Dejean A, Azémar F, Naskrecki P, Tindo M, Rossi V, Faucher C, Gryta H. Mutualistic interactions between ants and fungi: A review. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10386. [PMID: 37529578 PMCID: PMC10375366 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The large amount of dead plant biomass caused by the final extinction events triggered a fungi proliferation that mostly differentiated into saprophytes degrading organic matter; others became parasites, predators, likely commensals, and mutualists. Among the last, many have relationships with ants, the most emblematic seen in the Neotropical myrmicine Attina that cultivate Basidiomycota for food. Among them, leaf-cutting, fungus-growing species illustrate an ecological innovation because they grow fungal gardens from fresh plant material rather than arthropod frass and plant debris. Myrmecophytes shelter "plant-ants" in hollow structures, the domatia, whose inner walls are lined with thin-walled Ascomycota hyphae that, in certain cases, are eaten by the ants, showing a form of convergence. Typically, these Ascomycota have antibacterial properties illustrating cases of farming for protection. Ant gardens, or mutualistic associations between certain ant species and epiphytes, shelter endophytic fungi that promote the growth of the epiphytes. Because the cell walls of certain Ascomycota hyphae remain sturdy after the death of the mycelium, they form resistant fibers used by ants to reinforce their constructions (e.g., galleries, shelters for tended hemipterans, and carton nests). Thus, we saw cases of "true" fungal agriculture involving planting, cultivating, and harvesting Basidiomycota for food with Attina. A convergence with "plant-ants" feeding on Ascomycota whose antibacterial activity is generally exploited (i.e., farming for protection). The growth of epiphytes was promoted by endophytic fungi in ant gardens. Finally, farming for structural materials occurred with, in one case, a leaf-cutting, fungus-growing ant using Ascomycota fibers to reinforce its nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Dejean
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle et EnvironnementUniversité de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 – Paul Sabatier (UPS)ToulouseFrance
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTechCirad, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de GuyaneKourouFrance
| | - Frédéric Azémar
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle et EnvironnementUniversité de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 – Paul Sabatier (UPS)ToulouseFrance
| | - Piotr Naskrecki
- Museum of Comparative ZoologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Maurice Tindo
- Laboratory of Biology and Physiology of Animal Organisms, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of DoualaDoualaCameroon
| | - Vivien Rossi
- Remote Sensing and Forest Ecology Lab, Higher Teacher's Training CollegeMarien Ngouabi UniversityBrazzavilleDemocratic Republic of the Congo
- R U Forests and Societies, CIRADBrazzavilleDemocratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Christian Faucher
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174) CNRSIRD, Université Toulouse 3ToulouseFrance
| | - Hervé Gryta
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174) CNRSIRD, Université Toulouse 3ToulouseFrance
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Dejean A, Naskrecki P, Faucher C, Azémar F, Tindo M, Manzi S, Gryta H. An Old World leaf-cutting, fungus-growing ant: A case of convergent evolution. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9904. [PMID: 36937071 PMCID: PMC10015377 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The African myrmicine ant Crematogaster clariventris is a territorially dominant arboreal species that constructs very hard carton nests. Noting that workers cut off leaves from different plant species while building or repairing their nests, we asked ourselves if there was a correlation. We conducted scanning electron microscopic observations of nest walls that revealed the presence of fungal mycelia. As the presence of filamentous Ascomycota has been shown on arboreal ant nests worldwide, we used a metabarcoding approach and, indeed, noted the presence of Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) Cre_006041 of the Capnodiales known to reinforce large nests of an unidentified African Crematogaster. This OTU was also recorded in the workers' bodies. At a very low level, we also noted OTU Cre_320021 of the Chaetothyriales known for their relationships with the African plant-ant species C. margaritae. Therefore, by cutting leaves and growing fungus, C. clariventris illustrates a case of convergent evolution with higher New World leaf-cutting, fungus-growing Attina of the genera Acromyrmex, Amoimyrmex and Atta. However, there are notable differences. Leaf-cutting Attina cultivate Agaricaceae (Basidiomycota) for food, whereas C. clariventris uses Capnodiales to reinforce their nests (i.e., after the mycelium died, the hyphae's cell walls remained sturdy forming a natural composite material), have a distinct geographical origin (i.e., New World vs. Old World) and belong to a distinct ant tribe in the subfamily Myrmicinae (i.e., Attini vs. Crematogastrini). Furthermore, leaf-cutting Attina evolved an efficacious means of cutting leaves by using their mandibles asymmetrically, whereas C. clariventris workers, typically, use their mandibles symmetrically.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Dejean
- Laboratoire écologie fonctionnelle et environnement Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier (UPS) Toulouse France
- UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, CNRS, INRA Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane Kourou France
| | - P Naskrecki
- Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts USA
| | - C Faucher
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne Toulouse France
| | - F Azémar
- Laboratoire écologie fonctionnelle et environnement Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier (UPS) Toulouse France
| | - M Tindo
- Laboratory of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science University of Douala Douala Cameroon
| | - S Manzi
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne Toulouse France
- Present address: Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), CNRS Université Toulouse Toulouse Cedex France
| | - H Gryta
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne Toulouse France
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Milligan PD, Martin TA, Pringle EG, Prior KM, Palmer TM. Symbiotic ant traits produce differential host-plant carbon and water dynamics in a multi-species mutualism. Ecology 2023; 104:e3880. [PMID: 36199213 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Cooperative interactions may frequently be reinforced by "partner fidelity feedback," in which high- or low-quality partners drive positive feedbacks with high or low benefits for the host, respectively. Benefits of plant-animal mutualisms for plants have been quantified almost universally in terms of growth or reproduction, but these are only two of many sinks to which a host-plant allocates its resources. By investigating how partners to host-plants impact two fundamental plant resources, carbon and water, we can better characterize plant-partner fidelity and understand how plant-partner mutualisms may be modulated by resource dynamics. In Laikipia, Kenya, four ant species compete for Acacia drepanolobium host-plants. These ants differ in multiple traits, from nectar consumption to host-plant protection. Using a 5-year ant removal experiment, we compared carbon fixation, leaf water status, and stem non-structural carbohydrate concentrations for adult ant-plants with and without ant partners. Removal treatments showed that the ants differentially mediate tree carbon and/or water resources. All three ant species known to be aggressive against herbivores were linked to benefits for host-plant resources, but only the two species that defend but do not prune the host, Crematogaster mimosae and Tetraponera penzigi, increased tree carbon fixation. Of these two species, only the nectivore C. mimosae increased tree simple sugars. Crematogaster nigriceps, which defends the tree but also castrates flowers and prunes meristems, was linked only to lower tree water stress approximated by pre-dawn leaf water potential. In contrast to those defensive ants, Crematogaster sjostedti, a poor defender that displaces other ants, was linked to lower tree carbon fixation. Comparing the effects of the four ant species across control trees suggests that differential ant occupancy drives substantial differences in carbon and water supply among host trees. Our results highlight that ant partners can positively or negatively impact carbon and/or water relations for their host-plant, and we discuss the likelihood that carbon- and water-related partner fidelity feedback loops occur across ant-plant mutualisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick D Milligan
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Timothy A Martin
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Pringle
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Kirsten M Prior
- Department of Biology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
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6
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Wang C, Cocco A, Lin CC, Billen J. Morphology and ultrastructure of the infrabuccal pocket in Strumigenys ants. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2022; 68:101154. [PMID: 35452912 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2022.101154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The morphology of the infrabuccal pocket has been studied with light and electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) in 19 species of Strumigenys ants. The structural organization is similar in workers, queens and males, and supports the involvement of the pocket in the filtration of food particles before they can enter the digestive tract. A carpet of posteriorly oriented bristle hairs on the hypopharynx first guide ingested food into the pocket, where large solid particles are compacted into a pellet that will be regurgitated. The remaining products enter the digestive tract through a filtering wall of parallel hair combs lining the pharynx interior that are directed against the food flow. This mechanical filtering allows only liquids and sufficiently small food particles to enter the digestive system. The wall of the infrabuccal pocket is differentiated into a conspicuous glandular epithelium, of which the ultrastructural characteristics can be understood as an adaptation against the frequent shape changes of the pocket. The gland elaborates a non-proteinaceous secretion, although its functional significance still remains unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu Wang
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Alessio Cocco
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Chung-Chi Lin
- National Changhua University of Education, Department of Biology, Changhua 50007, Taiwan, R.O.C.
| | - Johan Billen
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Djogbenou A, Azihou AF, Dassou AG, Assogbadjo AE, Kassa B, Gaoue OG. Limited ant co-occurrence and defensive mutualism in Acacia plants in a West African savanna. AOB PLANTS 2021; 13:plab036. [PMID: 34234937 PMCID: PMC8255073 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plab036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of the role of fire and effect of ant species composition, beyond their diversity and abundance, on the effectiveness of mutualism defence is limited. Most of our knowledge of ant-plant defence in tropical Africa is biased towards East African savannas which have richer soil, higher primary productivity and a more diverse arthropods and mammal community than West African savannas. We assessed the diversity of ant species associated with Acacia species in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in the Dahomey Gap, and their impacts on elephant damage. Elephant damage, ant diversity and abundance were measured in stands of five Acacia species. Eleven ant species were identified in the Acacia stands. The composition of these ant communities varied across Acacia species. Pair of ant species co-occurred in only 2 % of sampled trees, suggesting a strong competitive exclusion. Within this annually burnt environment, ants were rare on small trees. The intensity of elephant-caused branch breaking did not vary between trees with ants and trees without ants, suggesting limited Acacia-ant mutualism. Such limited biotic defence may mask strong physical and chemical defence mechanisms of Acacia trees against elephant damage. Ant assemblages in West Africa, unlike those in the more productive East Africa, are particularly species-poor. However, there is a convergence between these two regions in low rate of ant co-occurrence which might indicate strong competitive exclusion. Our study suggests that such low ant species richness while limiting the efficacy of mutualism in controlling mega-herbivore damage may mask a strong defence syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anyse Djogbenou
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Akomian F Azihou
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Anicet G Dassou
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Genetic Resources, Plant and Animal Breeding, Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Dassa, National University of Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, 01 BP 14, Dassa-Zoumè, Benin
| | - Achille E Assogbadjo
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Barthelemy Kassa
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Orou G Gaoue
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, BP 123, Parakou, Benin
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Sciences, University of Johannesburg, APK Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Mbenoun M, Wingfield MJ, Misse AC, Roux J. Selective feeding behaviors illuminate patterns of sap beetle associations with ophiostomatoid fungi. Symbiosis 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-020-00705-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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9
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In Situ Activation and Heterologous Production of a Cryptic Lantibiotic from an African Plant Ant-Derived Saccharopolyspora Species. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.01876-19. [PMID: 31732571 PMCID: PMC6974636 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01876-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The discovery of novel antibiotics to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is impeded by difficulties in accessing the full biosynthetic potential of microorganisms. The development of new tools to unlock the biosynthesis of cryptic bacterial natural products will greatly increase the repertoire of natural product scaffolds. Here, we report a strategy for the ectopic expression of pathway-specific positive regulators that can be rapidly applied to activate the biosynthesis of cryptic lanthipeptide biosynthetic gene clusters. This allowed the discovery of a new lanthipeptide antibiotic directly from the native host and via heterologous expression. Most clinical antibiotics are derived from actinomycete natural products discovered at least 60 years ago. However, the repeated rediscovery of known compounds led the pharmaceutical industry to largely discard microbial natural products (NPs) as a source of new chemical diversity. Recent advances in genome sequencing have revealed that these organisms have the potential to make many more NPs than previously thought. Approaches to unlock NP biosynthesis by genetic manipulation of strains, by the application of chemical genetics, or by microbial cocultivation have resulted in the identification of new antibacterial compounds. Concomitantly, intensive exploration of coevolved ecological niches, such as insect-microbe defensive symbioses, has revealed these to be a rich source of chemical novelty. Here, we report the new lanthipeptide antibiotic kyamicin, which was generated through the activation of a cryptic biosynthetic gene cluster identified by genome mining Saccharopolyspora species found in the obligate domatium-dwelling ant Tetraponera penzigi of the ant plant Vachellia drepanolobium. Transcriptional activation of this silent gene cluster was achieved by ectopic expression of a pathway-specific activator under the control of a constitutive promoter. Subsequently, a heterologous production platform was developed which enabled the purification of kyamicin for structural characterization and bioactivity determination. This strategy was also successful for the production of lantibiotics from other genera, paving the way for a synthetic heterologous expression platform for the discovery of lanthipeptides that are not detected under laboratory conditions or that are new to nature. IMPORTANCE The discovery of novel antibiotics to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is impeded by difficulties in accessing the full biosynthetic potential of microorganisms. The development of new tools to unlock the biosynthesis of cryptic bacterial natural products will greatly increase the repertoire of natural product scaffolds. Here, we report a strategy for the ectopic expression of pathway-specific positive regulators that can be rapidly applied to activate the biosynthesis of cryptic lanthipeptide biosynthetic gene clusters. This allowed the discovery of a new lanthipeptide antibiotic directly from the native host and via heterologous expression.
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Lucas JM, Madden AA, Penick CA, Epps MJ, Marting PR, Stevens JL, Fergus DJ, Dunn RR, Meineke EK. Azteca ants maintain unique microbiomes across functionally distinct nest chambers. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191026. [PMID: 31387509 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbiome of built structures has considerable influence over an inhabitant's well-being, yet the vast majority of research has focused on human-built structures. Ants are well-known architects, capable of constructing elaborate dwellings, the microbiome of which is underexplored. Here, we explore the bacterial and fungal microbiomes in functionally distinct chambers within and outside the nests of Azteca alfari ants in Cecropia peltata trees. We predicted that A. alfari colonies (1) maintain distinct microbiomes within their nests compared to the surrounding environment, (2) maintain distinct microbiomes among nest chambers used for different functions, and (3) limit both ant and plant pathogens inside their nests. In support of these predictions, we found that internal and external nest sampling locations had distinct microbial communities, and A. alfari maintained lower bacterial richness in their 'nurseries'. While putative animal pathogens were suppressed in chambers that ants actively inhabited, putative plant pathogens were not, which does not support our hypothesis that A. alfari defends its host trees against microbial antagonists. Our results show that ants influence microbial communities inside their nests similar to studies of human homes. Unlike humans, ants limit the bacteria in their nurseries and potentially prevent the build-up of insect-infecting pathogens. These results highlight the importance of documenting how indoor microbiomes differ among species, which might improve our understanding of how to promote indoor health in human dwellings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane M Lucas
- Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Anne A Madden
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Clint A Penick
- The Biomimicry Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Mary Jane Epps
- Department of Biology, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA 24401, USA
| | - Peter R Marting
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Daniel J Fergus
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Robert R Dunn
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.,Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Emily K Meineke
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Brinker P, Weig A, Rambold G, Feldhaar H, Tragust S. Microbial community composition of nest-carton and adjoining soil of the ant Lasius fuliginosus and the role of host secretions in structuring microbial communities. FUNGAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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12
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Rosario K, Mettel KA, Benner BE, Johnson R, Scott C, Yusseff-Vanegas SZ, Baker CCM, Cassill DL, Storer C, Varsani A, Breitbart M. Virus discovery in all three major lineages of terrestrial arthropods highlights the diversity of single-stranded DNA viruses associated with invertebrates. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5761. [PMID: 30324030 PMCID: PMC6186406 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses encoding a replication-associated protein (Rep) within a covalently closed, single-stranded (ss)DNA genome are among the smallest viruses known to infect eukaryotic organisms, including economically valuable agricultural crops and livestock. Although circular Rep-encoding ssDNA (CRESS DNA) viruses are a widespread group for which our knowledge is rapidly expanding, biased sampling toward vertebrates and land plants has limited our understanding of their diversity and evolution. Here, we screened terrestrial arthropods for CRESS DNA viruses and report the identification of 44 viral genomes and replicons associated with specimens representing all three major terrestrial arthropod lineages, namely Euchelicerata (spiders), Hexapoda (insects), and Myriapoda (millipedes). We identified virus genomes belonging to three established CRESS DNA viral families (Circoviridae, Genomoviridae, and Smacoviridae); however, over half of the arthropod-associated viral genomes are only distantly related to currently classified CRESS DNA viral sequences. Although members of viral and satellite families known to infect plants (Geminiviridae, Nanoviridae, Alphasatellitidae) were not identified in this study, these plant-infecting CRESS DNA viruses and replicons are transmitted by hemipterans. Therefore, members from six out of the seven established CRESS DNA viral families circulate among arthropods. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis of Reps, including endogenous viral sequences, reported to date from a wide array of organisms revealed that most of the known CRESS DNA viral diversity circulates among invertebrates. Our results highlight the vast and unexplored diversity of CRESS DNA viruses among invertebrates and parallel findings from RNA viral discovery efforts in undersampled taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karyna Rosario
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Kaitlin A Mettel
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Bayleigh E Benner
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Ryan Johnson
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Catherine Scott
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - Christopher C M Baker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Deby L Cassill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Florida Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Caroline Storer
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Arvind Varsani
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mya Breitbart
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
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13
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Baker CCM, Martins DJ, Pelaez JN, Billen JPJ, Pringle A, Frederickson ME, Pierce NE. Distinctive fungal communities in an obligate African ant-plant mutualism. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2501. [PMID: 28298347 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Three ant species nest obligately in the swollen-thorn domatia of the African ant-plant Vachellia (Acacia) drepanolobium, a model system for the study of ant-defence mutualisms and species coexistence. Here we report on the characteristic fungal communities generated by these ant species in their domatia. First, we describe behavioural differences between the ant species when presented with a cultured fungal isolate in the laboratory. Second, we use DNA metabarcoding to show that each ant species has a distinctive fungal community in its domatia, and that these communities remain characteristic of the ant species over two Kenyan sampling locations separated by 190 km. Third, we find that DNA extracted from female alates of Tetraponera penzigi and Crematogaster nigriceps contained matches for most of the fungal metabarcodes from those ant species' domatia, respectively. Fungal hyphae and other debris are also visible in sections of these alates' infrabuccal pockets. Collectively, our results indicate that domatium fungal communities are associated with the ant species occupying the tree. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of such ant-specific fungal community-level differences on the same myrmecophytic host species. These differences may be shaped by ant behaviour in the domatia, and by ants vectoring fungi when they disperse to establish new colonies. The roles of the fungi with respect to the ants and their host plant remain to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C M Baker
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Dino J Martins
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555, Nanyuki 10400, Kenya.,Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, N 507 Social and Behavioural Sciences, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Julianne N Pelaez
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Johan P J Billen
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59 - Box 2466, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anne Pringle
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Megan E Frederickson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Naomi E Pierce
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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14
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Chomicki G, Renner SS. The interactions of ants with their biotic environment. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0013. [PMID: 28298352 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This special feature results from the symposium 'Ants 2016: ant interactions with their biotic environments' held in Munich in May 2016 and deals with the interactions between ants and other insects, plants, microbes and fungi, studied at micro- and macroevolutionary levels with a wide range of approaches, from field ecology to next-generation sequencing, chemical ecology and molecular genetics. In this paper, we review key aspects of these biotic interactions to provide background information for the papers of this special feature After listing the major types of biotic interactions that ants engage in, we present a brief overview of ant/ant communication, ant/plant interactions, ant/fungus symbioses, and recent insights about ants and their endosymbionts. Using a large molecular clock-dated Formicidae phylogeny, we map the evolutionary origins of different ant clades' interactions with plants, fungi and hemiptera. Ants' biotic interactions provide ideal systems to address fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions about mutualism, coevolution, adaptation and animal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Strasse 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne S Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Strasse 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
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15
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Palmer TM, Riginos C, Damiani RE, Morgan N, Lemboi JS, Lengingiro J, Ruiz-Guajardo JC, Pringle RM. Influence of neighboring plants on the dynamics of an ant-acacia protection mutualism. Ecology 2017; 98:3034-3043. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Todd M. Palmer
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida USA
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Corinna Riginos
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
- Department of Zoology and Physiology; University of Wyoming; Laramie Wyoming USA
| | - Rachel E. Damiani
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida USA
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Natalya Morgan
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida USA
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | | | | | - Juan C. Ruiz-Guajardo
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
- Department of Evolution and Ecology; University of California at Davis; Davis California USA
| | - Robert M. Pringle
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; Princeton New Jersey USA
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