Bacterial exposure leads to variable mortality but not a measurable increase in surface antimicrobials across ant species.

ABSTRACT: Social insects have co-existed with microbial species for millions of years and have evolved a diversity of collective defenses, including the use of antimicrobials. While many studies have revealed strategies that ants use against microbial entomopathogens, and several have shown ant-produced compounds inhibit environmental bacterial growth, few studies have tested whether exposure to environmental bacteria represents a health threat to ants. We compare four ant species' responses to exposure to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria in order to broaden our understanding of microbial health-threats to ants and their ability to defend against them. In a first experiment, we measure worker mortality of Solenopsis invicta, Brachymyrmex chinensis,

SUBMITTER: Halawani O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7719289 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature