Untangling the complex interactions between turtle ants and their microbial partners.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To understand the patterns of biodiversity it is important to consider symbiotic interactions as they can shape animal evolution. In several ant genera symbiotic interactions with microbial communities have been shown to have profound impacts for the host. For example, we know that for Camponotini the gut community can upgrade the host's diet and is shaped by development and colony interactions. However, what is true for one ant group may not be true for another. For the microbial communities that have been examined across ants we see variation in the diversity, host factors that structure these communities, and the function these microbes provide for the host. In the herbivorous turtle ants (Cephalotes) their stable symbiotic interactions with gut bacteria have persiste

SUBMITTER: Ramalho MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9809061 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature