Insects | |
The Evolutionary Innovation of Nutritional Symbioses in Leaf-Cutter Ants | |
Frank O. Aylward1  Cameron R. Currie1  | |
[1] Department of Bacteriology, Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; E-Mails: | |
关键词:
symbiosis;
attine ants;
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DOI : 10.3390/insects3010041 | |
来源: mdpi | |
【 摘 要 】
Fungus-growing ants gain access to nutrients stored in plant biomass through their association with a mutualistic fungus they grow for food. This 50 million-year-old obligate mutualism likely facilitated some of these species becoming dominant Neotropical herbivores that can achieve immense colony sizes. Recent culture-independent investigations have shed light on the conversion of plant biomass into nutrients within ant fungus gardens, revealing that this process involves both the fungal cultivar and a symbiotic community of bacteria including
【 授权许可】
CC BY
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
【 预 览 】
Files | Size | Format | View |
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RO202003190046426ZK.pdf | 295KB | download |