Cornell University, Departments of Entomology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 129 Garden Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2020 Jun;39:1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.01.002. Epub 2020 Jan 30.
Ants have been shown to engage in symbiosis across the tree of life, although our knowledge is far from complete. These interactions range from mutualistic to parasitic with several instances of manipulation of host behavior. Nutrient contributions in these symbioses include both farming for food and nitrogen recycling by gut-associated microbes. Interestingly, the ants that are mostly likely to host diverse and likely functional gut microbial communities are those that feed on extreme diets. Although we do see many instances of symbiosis between ants and microbes, there are also examples of species without a functional gut microbiome. Symbiosis among microbes and eukaryotic hosts is common and often considered a hallmark of multicellular evolution [1]. This is true among many of the over 13000 species of ants, although symbiosis between ants and microbes are not ubiquitous. These microbial-ant symbiotic interactions span the tree of life and include microbial eukaryotes, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. These interactions range from pathogenic to mutualistic, with many relationships still not well understood. Although our knowledge of the diversity of these microbes in ants is growing rapidly, and in some cases we know the function and interaction with the host, we still have much to learn about - the little things that run the little things that run the world!
蚂蚁在整个生命之树上的共生关系已经得到证实，尽管我们的知识还远远不够完整。这些相互作用的范围从互利共生到寄生，并且有几个宿主行为被操纵的例子。在这些共生关系中，营养物质的贡献包括为食物而耕种和肠道相关微生物进行氮循环。有趣的是，最有可能宿主多样化且可能具有功能性肠道微生物群落的蚂蚁是那些以极端饮食为食的蚂蚁。尽管我们看到了许多蚂蚁和微生物之间的共生关系的例子，但也有一些没有功能性肠道微生物组的物种的例子。微生物和真核宿主之间的共生关系很常见，通常被认为是多细胞进化的标志[1]。这在超过 13000 种蚂蚁中的许多中都是如此，尽管蚂蚁和微生物之间的共生关系并不是普遍存在的。这些微生物-蚂蚁共生相互作用跨越生命之树，包括微生物真核生物、真菌、病毒和细菌。这些相互作用的范围从致病性到互利共生，许多关系仍未得到很好的理解。尽管我们对蚂蚁中这些微生物的多样性的了解正在迅速增长，并且在某些情况下我们知道它们与宿主的功能和相互作用，但我们仍然有很多东西需要学习——这些小东西正在主宰着这个世界！
