Open AccessAnalysis of the bacterial communities associated with two ant–plant symbioses
Author(s) -
Seipke Ryan F.,
Barke Jörg,
Heavens Darren,
Yu Douglas W.,
Hutchings Matthew I.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
microbiologyopen
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.881
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 2045-8827
DOI - 10.1002/mbo3.73
Subject(s) - biology , phylum , microbiome , proteobacteria , actinobacteria , firmicutes , fungus , bacterial phyla , botany , insect , ecology , symbiosis , serratia , bacteria , 16s ribosomal rna , pseudomonas , bioinformatics , genetics
Insect fungiculture is practiced by ants, termites, beetles, and gall midges and it has been suggested to be widespread among plant–ants. Some of the insects engaged in fungiculture, including attine ants and bark beetles, are known to use symbiotic antibiotic‐producing actinobacteria to protect themselves and their fungal cultivars against infection. In this study, we analyze the bacterial communities on the cuticles of the plant–ant genera A llomerus and T etraponera using deep sequencing of 16S rRNA . Allomerus ants cultivate fungus as a building material to strengthen traps for prey, while T etraponera ants cultivate fungus as a food source. We report that A llomerus and T etraponera microbiomes contain >75% P roteobacteria and remarkably the bacterial phyla that dominate their cuticular microbiomes are very similar despite their geographic separation ( S outh A merica and A frica, respectively). Notably, antibiotic‐producing actinomycete bacteria represent a tiny fraction of the cuticular microbiomes of both A llomerus and T etraponera spp. and instead they are dominated by γ‐proteobacteria E rwinia and S erratia spp. Both these phyla are known to contain antibiotic‐producing species which might therefore play a protective role in these ant–plant systems.