What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves?
Studies of bacterial communities can reveal the evolutionary significance of symbiotic interactions between hosts and their associated bacteria, as well as identify environmental factors that may influence host biology. <i>Atta sexdens</i> is an ant species native to Brazil that can act...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-05-01
|
Series: | Insects |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/6/332 |
id |
doaj-2d573a85231a46ebb290f4f7349219e7 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-2d573a85231a46ebb290f4f7349219e72020-11-25T03:25:14ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502020-05-011133233210.3390/insects11060332What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves?Manuela de Oliveira Ramalho0Cintia Martins1Maria Santina Castro Morini2Odair Correa Bueno3Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais—CEIS, Instituto de Biociências, Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Piauí - Campus Ministro Reis Velloso, Av. São Sebastião, 2819, Parnaíba 64.202-020, Piauí, BrazilUniversidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais, Av. Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza, 200, Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP 08780-911, BrazilUniversidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais—CEIS, Instituto de Biociências, Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, BrazilStudies of bacterial communities can reveal the evolutionary significance of symbiotic interactions between hosts and their associated bacteria, as well as identify environmental factors that may influence host biology. <i>Atta sexdens</i> is an ant species native to Brazil that can act as an agricultural pest due to its intense behavior of cutting plants. Despite being extensively studied, certain aspects of the general biology of this species remain unclear, such as the evolutionary implications of the symbiotic relationships it forms with bacteria. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, we compared for the first time the bacterial community of <i>A. sexdens</i> (whole ant workers) populations according to the habitat (natural versus agricultural) and geographical location. Our results revealed that the bacterial community associated with <i>A. sexdens</i> is mainly influenced by the geographical location, and secondarily by the differences in habitat. Also, the bacterial community associated with citrus<i> </i>differed significantly from the other communities due to the presence of <i>Tsukamurella</i>. In conclusion, our study suggests that environmental shifts may influence the bacterial diversity found in <i>A. sexdens</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/6/332environmentextensive cultivationbacterial diversitysustainable developmentconservation |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Manuela de Oliveira Ramalho Cintia Martins Maria Santina Castro Morini Odair Correa Bueno |
spellingShingle |
Manuela de Oliveira Ramalho Cintia Martins Maria Santina Castro Morini Odair Correa Bueno What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves? Insects environment extensive cultivation bacterial diversity sustainable development conservation |
author_facet |
Manuela de Oliveira Ramalho Cintia Martins Maria Santina Castro Morini Odair Correa Bueno |
author_sort |
Manuela de Oliveira Ramalho |
title |
What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves? |
title_short |
What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves? |
title_full |
What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves? |
title_fullStr |
What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves? |
title_full_unstemmed |
What Can the Bacterial Community of <i>Atta sexdens </i>(Linnaeus, 1758) Tell Us about the Habitats in Which This Ant Species Evolves? |
title_sort |
what can the bacterial community of <i>atta sexdens </i>(linnaeus, 1758) tell us about the habitats in which this ant species evolves? |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Insects |
issn |
2075-4450 |
publishDate |
2020-05-01 |
description |
Studies of bacterial communities can reveal the evolutionary significance of symbiotic interactions between hosts and their associated bacteria, as well as identify environmental factors that may influence host biology. <i>Atta sexdens</i> is an ant species native to Brazil that can act as an agricultural pest due to its intense behavior of cutting plants. Despite being extensively studied, certain aspects of the general biology of this species remain unclear, such as the evolutionary implications of the symbiotic relationships it forms with bacteria. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, we compared for the first time the bacterial community of <i>A. sexdens</i> (whole ant workers) populations according to the habitat (natural versus agricultural) and geographical location. Our results revealed that the bacterial community associated with <i>A. sexdens</i> is mainly influenced by the geographical location, and secondarily by the differences in habitat. Also, the bacterial community associated with citrus<i> </i>differed significantly from the other communities due to the presence of <i>Tsukamurella</i>. In conclusion, our study suggests that environmental shifts may influence the bacterial diversity found in <i>A. sexdens</i>. |
topic |
environment extensive cultivation bacterial diversity sustainable development conservation |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/6/332 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT manueladeoliveiraramalho whatcanthebacterialcommunityofiattasexdensilinnaeus1758tellusaboutthehabitatsinwhichthisantspeciesevolves AT cintiamartins whatcanthebacterialcommunityofiattasexdensilinnaeus1758tellusaboutthehabitatsinwhichthisantspeciesevolves AT mariasantinacastromorini whatcanthebacterialcommunityofiattasexdensilinnaeus1758tellusaboutthehabitatsinwhichthisantspeciesevolves AT odaircorreabueno whatcanthebacterialcommunityofiattasexdensilinnaeus1758tellusaboutthehabitatsinwhichthisantspeciesevolves |
_version_ |
1724598089697722368 |