Login / Signup

Dynamics and drivers of fungal communities in a multipartite ant-plant association.

Veronica Barrajon-SantosMaximilian NepelBela HausmannHermann VoglmayrDagmar WoebkenVeronika E Mayer
Published in: BMC biology (2024)
The fungal patch communities become more complex as the ant colony develops, due to an acquisition of fungi from the environment and a substrate diversification. Our results suggest a successional progression of the fungal communities in the patches during ant colony growth and place the ant colony as the main driver shaping such communities. The findings of this study demonstrate the unexpectedly complex nature of ant-plant mutualisms in tropical regions at a micro scale.
Keyphrases
  • cell wall
  • climate change
  • amino acid