@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref24100,
author = {Ted R. Schultz},
title = {The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species},
year = {2015},
keywords = {Attini, coevolution, fungus-farming ants, Leucocoprineae, symbiosis },
doi = {},
url = {http://},
pmid = {},
journal = {American Naturalist},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
abstract = {Fungus-farming (attine) ant agriculture is comprised of five known agricultural systems characterized by remarkable symbiont fidelity in which five phylogenetic groups of ants faithfully cultivate five phylogenetic groups of fungi. Here we describe the first case of a lower-attine ant cultivating a higher-attine fungus based on our discovery of a Brazilian population of the relictual fungus-farming ant Apterostigma megacephala, known previously from four stray specimens from Peru and Colombia. We find that A. megacephala is the sole surviving representative of an ancient lineage that diverged ~39 million years ago, very early in the ~55-million-year evolution of fungus-farming ants. Contrary to all previously known patterns of ant-fungus symbiont fidelity, A. megacephala cultivates Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a highly domesticated fungal cultivar that originated only 2-8 mya in the gardens of the highly derived and recently evolved (~12 mya) leaf-cutting ants. Because no other lower fungus-farming ant is known to cultivate any of the higher-attine fungi, let alone the leaf-cutter fungus, A. megacephala may provide important clues about the biological mechanisms constraining the otherwise seemingly obligate ant-fungus associations that characterize attine ant agriculture.}
}
Citation for Study 16967
Citation title:
"The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species".
Study name:
"The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species".
This study is part of submission 16967
(Status: Published).
Citation
Schultz T. 2015. The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species. American Naturalist, .
Authors
Abstract
Fungus-farming (attine) ant agriculture is comprised of five known agricultural systems characterized by remarkable symbiont fidelity in which five phylogenetic groups of ants faithfully cultivate five phylogenetic groups of fungi. Here we describe the first case of a lower-attine ant cultivating a higher-attine fungus based on our discovery of a Brazilian population of the relictual fungus-farming ant Apterostigma megacephala, known previously from four stray specimens from Peru and Colombia. We find that A. megacephala is the sole surviving representative of an ancient lineage that diverged ~39 million years ago, very early in the ~55-million-year evolution of fungus-farming ants. Contrary to all previously known patterns of ant-fungus symbiont fidelity, A. megacephala cultivates Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a highly domesticated fungal cultivar that originated only 2-8 mya in the gardens of the highly derived and recently evolved (~12 mya) leaf-cutting ants. Because no other lower fungus-farming ant is known to cultivate any of the higher-attine fungi, let alone the leaf-cutter fungus, A. megacephala may provide important clues about the biological mechanisms constraining the otherwise seemingly obligate ant-fungus associations that characterize attine ant agriculture.
Keywords
Attini, coevolution, fungus-farming ants, Leucocoprineae, symbiosis
External links
About this resource
- Canonical resource URI:
http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S16967
- Other versions:
Nexus
NeXML
- Show BibTeX reference
@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref24100,
author = {Ted R. Schultz},
title = {The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species},
year = {2015},
keywords = {Attini, coevolution, fungus-farming ants, Leucocoprineae, symbiosis },
doi = {},
url = {http://},
pmid = {},
journal = {American Naturalist},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
abstract = {Fungus-farming (attine) ant agriculture is comprised of five known agricultural systems characterized by remarkable symbiont fidelity in which five phylogenetic groups of ants faithfully cultivate five phylogenetic groups of fungi. Here we describe the first case of a lower-attine ant cultivating a higher-attine fungus based on our discovery of a Brazilian population of the relictual fungus-farming ant Apterostigma megacephala, known previously from four stray specimens from Peru and Colombia. We find that A. megacephala is the sole surviving representative of an ancient lineage that diverged ~39 million years ago, very early in the ~55-million-year evolution of fungus-farming ants. Contrary to all previously known patterns of ant-fungus symbiont fidelity, A. megacephala cultivates Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a highly domesticated fungal cultivar that originated only 2-8 mya in the gardens of the highly derived and recently evolved (~12 mya) leaf-cutting ants. Because no other lower fungus-farming ant is known to cultivate any of the higher-attine fungi, let alone the leaf-cutter fungus, A. megacephala may provide important clues about the biological mechanisms constraining the otherwise seemingly obligate ant-fungus associations that characterize attine ant agriculture.}
}
- Show RIS reference
TY - JOUR
ID - 24100
AU - Schultz,Ted R.
T1 - The most relictual fungus-farming ant species cultivates the most recently evolved and highly domesticated fungal symbiont species
PY - 2015
KW - Attini
KW - coevolution
KW - fungus-farming ants
KW - Leucocoprineae
KW - symbiosis
UR - http://dx.doi.org/
N2 - Fungus-farming (attine) ant agriculture is comprised of five known agricultural systems characterized by remarkable symbiont fidelity in which five phylogenetic groups of ants faithfully cultivate five phylogenetic groups of fungi. Here we describe the first case of a lower-attine ant cultivating a higher-attine fungus based on our discovery of a Brazilian population of the relictual fungus-farming ant Apterostigma megacephala, known previously from four stray specimens from Peru and Colombia. We find that A. megacephala is the sole surviving representative of an ancient lineage that diverged ~39 million years ago, very early in the ~55-million-year evolution of fungus-farming ants. Contrary to all previously known patterns of ant-fungus symbiont fidelity, A. megacephala cultivates Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a highly domesticated fungal cultivar that originated only 2-8 mya in the gardens of the highly derived and recently evolved (~12 mya) leaf-cutting ants. Because no other lower fungus-farming ant is known to cultivate any of the higher-attine fungi, let alone the leaf-cutter fungus, A. megacephala may provide important clues about the biological mechanisms constraining the otherwise seemingly obligate ant-fungus associations that characterize attine ant agriculture.
L3 -
JF - American Naturalist
VL -
IS -
ER -
Go to search
Citation
Taxa
Matrices
Trees
Analyses
