Symbiont-Mediated Protection of <i>Acromyrmex</i> Leaf-Cutter Ants from the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae
Gaspar Bruner-Montero, Matthew Wood, Heidi A. Horn, Erin Gemperline, Lingjun Li, Cameron R. Currie
Abstract
In some plants and animals, beneficial microbes mediate host immune response against pathogens, including by serving as defensive symbionts that produce antimicrobial compounds. Defensive symbionts are known in several insects, including some leaf-cutter ants where antifungal-producing Actinobacteria help protect the fungal mutualist of the ants from specialized mycoparasites.
Topics & Concepts
Metarhizium anisopliaeBiologyFungusEntomopathogenic fungiEntomopathogenic fungusAttaHost (biology)AntifungalMetarhiziumBiological pest controlNatural enemiesBotanyHymenopteraEcologyMicrobiologyBeauveria bassianaInsect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorInsect symbiosis and bacterial influencesInsect and Pesticide Research