The early life of a leaf-cutter ant colony constrains symbiont vertical transmission and favors horizontal transmission.

ABSTRACT: Colonial organisms host a large diversity of symbionts (collectively, parasites, mutualists, and commensals) that use vertical transmission (from parent colony to offspring colony) and/or horizontal transmission to disperse between host colonies. The early life of some colonies, characterized by the dispersal and establishment of solitary individuals, may constrain vertical transmission and favor horizontal transmission between large established colonies. We explore this possibility with the miniature cockroach Attaphila fungicola, a symbiont of leaf-cutter ants and the mutualist fungal gardens they cultivate. The early life of a leaf-cutter colony is characterized by the dispersal of a female alate (winged "queen") carrying a fungal pellet, and the subsequent establishment of a fou

SUBMITTER: Phillips ZI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8427574 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature