Phylogenetic patterns of ant–fungus associations indicate that farming strategies, not only a superior fungal cultivar, explain the ecological success of leafcutter ants

• DOI: 10.1111/mec.14588
• Publication Date: 2018-05-09T08:16:24Z
• Authors: Ulrich G. Mueller; Melissa R. Kardish; Heather D. Ishak; April M. Wright; Scott E. Solomon; Sofia M. Bruschi; Alexis L. Carlson; Maurício Bacci
• Keywords: Ant colony

To elucidate fungicultural specializations contributing to ecological dominance of leafcutter ants, we estimate the phylogeny fungi cultivated by fungus-growing (attine) including fungal cultivars from (i) entire range southern South America North America, (ii) all higher-attine ant lineages (leafcutting genera Atta, Acromyrmex; nonleafcutting Trachymyrmex, Sericomyrmex) and (iii) lower-attine lineages. Higher-attine form two clades, Clade-A (Leucocoprinus gongylophorus, formerly Attamyces) previously thought be only a sister clade, Clade-B fungi, Trachymyrmex Sericomyrmex ants. Contradicting this traditional view, find that ants are not specialized cultivate because some species ranging across fungi; other known so far ants; in locations, single or closely related cryptic both (iv) ant-fungus co-evolution among mutualisms is therefore less than thought. Sympatric can ecologically dominant when cultivating either sustaining with cultivar-type huge nests command large foraging territories; conversely, sympatric locally abundant without achieving Ecological does depend primarily on fungiculture L. gongylophorus (Clade-A), but must derive synergisms unique adaptations.