Ant's Nest as a microenvironment: Distinct <i>Mucoromycota</i> (Fungi) community of the red wood ants' (<i>Formica polyctena</i>) mounds.

ABSTRACT: Many social insect species build nests, which differ from the surrounding environment and are often occupied by specific organismal communities. These organisms may interact mutualistically or parasitically with the nest-builders, or simply co-occur, being able to survive in these microenvironments. In temperate forests, red wood ants (e.g. Formica polyctena) are known to create distinct, highly developed nests, which consist of large, above-ground mounds, built primarily out of plant matter collected from the forest litter. The microorganismal communities of such mounds remain understudied. As representatives of Mucoromycota fungi commonly engage in the decomposition process of the forest litter, they would be expected to occur in the mounds. However, it is still not known w

SUBMITTER: Siedlecki I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11461907 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature