Preventing Transmission of Lethal Disease: Removal Behaviour of (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Towards Fungus Contaminated Aphids

Overview

Journal Insects

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Jan 27

PMID 33498832

Authors

Tatiana Novgorodova

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The ability of ants to detect and remove conidia-contaminated aphids, aimed at limiting contacts with potentially dangerous entities, is an effective antifungal mechanism to prevent the spread of infection among both their nestmates and aphids, their main suppliers of carbohydrates. However, the spread and the scale of this quarantining behaviour among ants are still scarcely studied. Among seven ant species studied, active usage of quarantining behaviour was found only in Formica ants. The behaviour of (Latreille) aphid milkers towards (Panzer) aphids covered with conidia of (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin was studied in the field. Most aggressive milkers quickly detected and removed conidia-contaminated aphids from the plant, carrying them down and placing them some distance away from the experimental aspen trees. In general, active usage of quarantining behaviour towards conidia-contaminated aphids was found to be not limited to the genus , but typical of as well. The response of milkers of and s. str. ants to living aphids covered with conidia is quite similar. Removal of most fungus-contaminated aphids from the plant enables these ants to reduce the risk of infection transmission among both their nestmates and aphids.

References

Cremer S, Armitage S, Schmid-Hempel P . Social immunity. Curr Biol. 2007; 17(16):R693-702. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.06.008. View

Frank E, Wehrhahn M, Linsenmair K . Wound treatment and selective help in a termite-hunting ant. Proc Biol Sci. 2018; 285(1872). PMC: 5829198. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2457. View

Cremer S, Pull C, Furst M . Social Immunity: Emergence and Evolution of Colony-Level Disease Protection. Annu Rev Entomol. 2017; 63:105-123. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043110. View

Konorov E, Nikitin M, Mikhailov K, Lysenkov S, Belenky M, Chang P . Genomic exaptation enables Lasius niger adaptation to urban environments. BMC Evol Biol. 2017; 17(Suppl 1):39. PMC: 5333191. DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0867-x. View

Bos N, Lefevre T, Jensen A, Dettorre P . Sick ants become unsociable. J Evol Biol. 2011; 25(2):342-51. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02425.x. View

Walker T, Hughes W . Adaptive social immunity in leaf-cutting ants. Biol Lett. 2009; 5(4):446-8. PMC: 2781909. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0107. View

Tragust S, Mitteregger B, Barone V, Konrad M, Ugelvig L, Cremer S . Ants disinfect fungus-exposed brood by oral uptake and spread of their poison. Curr Biol. 2012; 23(1):76-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.034. View

Liu L, Zhao X, Tang Q, Lei C, Huang Q . The Mechanisms of Social Immunity Against Fungal Infections in Eusocial Insects. Toxins (Basel). 2019; 11(5). PMC: 6563085. DOI: 10.3390/toxins11050244. View

Diez L, Urbain L, Lejeune P, Detrain C . Emergency measures: Adaptive response to pathogen intrusion in the ant nest. Behav Processes. 2015; 116:80-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.04.016. View

10.

Steinkraus D . Factors affecting transmission of fungal pathogens of aphids. J Invertebr Pathol. 2006; 92(3):125-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2006.03.009. View

11.

Wilson E, Holldobler B . The rise of the ants: a phylogenetic and ecological explanation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005; 102(21):7411-4. PMC: 1140440. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0502264102. View

12.

Pereira H, Detrain C . Pathogen avoidance and prey discrimination in ants. R Soc Open Sci. 2020; 7(2):191705. PMC: 7062100. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191705. View

13.

Anderson C, McShea D . Individual versus social complexity, with particular reference to ant colonies. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2001; 76(2):211-37. DOI: 10.1017/s1464793101005656. View

14.

Heinze J, Walter B . Moribund ants leave their nests to die in social isolation. Curr Biol. 2010; 20(3):249-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.12.031. View

15.

Kryukov V, Tomilova O, Luzina O, Yaroslavtseva O, Akhanaev Y, Tyurin M . Effects of fluorine-containing usnic acid and fungus Beauveria bassiana on the survival and immune-physiological reactions of Colorado potato beetle larvae. Pest Manag Sci. 2017; 74(3):598-606. DOI: 10.1002/ps.4741. View

16.

Oliver T, Leather S, Cook J . Macroevolutionary patterns in the origin of mutualisms involving ants. J Evol Biol. 2008; 21(6):1597-608. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01600.x. View

17.

Bos N, Sundstrom L, Fuchs S, Freitak D . Ants medicate to fight disease. Evolution. 2015; 69(11):2979-84. DOI: 10.1111/evo.12752. View

18.

Kriukov V, Khodyrev V, Iaroslavtseva O, Kamenova A, Duisembekov B, Glupov V . [Synergistic action of entomopathogenic hyphomycetes and the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. morrisoni in the infection of Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata]. Prikl Biokhim Mikrobiol. 2009; 45(5):571-6. View

19.

Roy H, Steinkraus D, Eilenberg J, Hajek A, Pell J . Bizarre interactions and endgames: entomopathogenic fungi and their arthropod hosts. Annu Rev Entomol. 2005; 51:331-57. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.51.110104.150941. View

20.

Kriukov V, Yaroslavtseva O, Elisaphenko E, Mitkovets P, Lednev G, Duisembekov B . [ Change in the temperature preferences of Beauveria bassiana sensu lato isolates in the latitude gradient of Siberia and Kazakhstan]. Mikrobiologiia. 2012; 81(4):493-9. View