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Climate Change Influences Basidiome Emergence of Leaf-Cutting Ant Cultivars

Summary

This research examines how climate change affects the relationship between leaf-cutting ants and the fungi they cultivate for food. The study found that mushrooms from these fungi appear more frequently during warmer and wetter seasons, suggesting climate change may be disrupting the traditional balance of this ancient partnership. Impacts on everyday life: • Helps understand how climate change affects complex ecological relationships • Provides insights into agricultural pest management as leaf-cutting ants are major crop pests • Demonstrates how climate change can affect species interactions that have evolved over millions of years • Shows how environmental changes can impact natural biological control systems • Highlights the importance of monitoring ecological relationships as climate continues to change

Background

Leaf-cutting ants evolved a long-term symbiotic mutualism with fungal cultivars for nourishment while using vertical asexual transmission across generations. The fungal partner is vertically transmitted as mycelium across generations carried inside the infrabuccal pocket of foundress queens. Despite the ants’ efforts to suppress fungal sexual reproduction through clonal transmission, scattered occurrences of cultivar basidiomes (mushrooms) have been reported.

Objective

To investigate the influence of climatic parameters on mushroom phenology of cultivars of leaf-cutting ants by reviewing environmental conditions for nests with confirmed events of basidiomes in previous reports and adding new observations. The study hypothesized that if basidiome occurrences are tied with climate change, more basidiome events would be expected with increased temperature and precipitation.

Results

A total of 17 basidiome occurrences were recorded in Rio Claro: 14 new occurrences in 2018-2020 from 6 A. coronatus nests, 1 occurrence in 2006, and 2 occurrences in 1996. Basidiomes were more frequent during hot and rainy seasons, from November to April. Culturing assays showed that basidiospores were viable and able to germinate. Statistical analysis indicated that precipitation preceding basidiome occurrence can predict the number of basidiomes.

Conclusion

Basidiome occurrences in A. coronatus colonies increase during warmer and wetter seasons. The nest architecture with low insulation might cause this phenomenon, which is intensified by current climate change scenarios. While the study partly relies on historical records, the observations contrast with the previously assumed rarity of this phenomenon, suggesting further investigation is needed regarding climate change impacts on this mutualism.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi,
  • Study Type:Field Observation Study,
  • Source: 10.3390/jof7110912
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