Centre for the Study of Social Insects, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP, 13560-900, Brazil.
Department of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2021 Jun;114(6):751-764. doi: 10.1007/s10482-021-01555-1. Epub 2021 Mar 18.
The leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex balzani is responsible for causing important losses in reforestation areas, crops, and pastures, and is frequently found in the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). So far, there is no information regarding the yeast communities that occur in their nests. Here, we evaluated the diversity, composition, and structure of yeast communities in both fungus gardens (FG) and external refuse dump (RD) of this ant species (Palmas, Tocantins, northern Brazil). A total of 720 yeasts were isolated, comprising 52 species distributed in 29 genera. The RDs have significantly richer and more diverse yeast communities than the fungus gardens, regardless of the season and the level of preservation in the area. The isolates produced a wide range of carbon polymer-degrading enzymes and were able to assimilate carbon-sources present in plant materials. We observed a different proportion of enzyme-producers and carbon-assimilation found in external refuse dump and fungus gardens from preserved and disturbed areas, suggesting that this interaction may vary depending on the environmental conditions. A. balzani nests in the savanna biome are a hotspot of yeast species with ecological, clinical, and biotechnological implications.
切叶蚁属的 Acromyrmex balzani 负责对重新造林区、农作物和牧场造成重大损失，并且经常出现在巴西的热带稀树草原（塞拉多）。到目前为止，关于它们巢中存在的酵母群落，我们还没有任何信息。在这里，我们评估了这种蚂蚁（帕拉马斯，托坎廷斯，巴西北部）的真菌花园（FG）和外部垃圾场（RD）中酵母群落的多样性、组成和结构。共分离出 720 株酵母，包括分布在 29 个属中的 52 个种。无论季节和区域的保存水平如何，RD 中的酵母群落都比 FG 具有更丰富和更多样化。分离株产生广泛的碳聚合物降解酶，并能够同化植物材料中存在的碳源。我们观察到在保存和干扰的地区的外部垃圾场和真菌花园中发现的产酶和碳同化的比例不同，这表明这种相互作用可能取决于环境条件。热带稀树草原生物群落中的 A. balzani 巢是具有生态、临床和生物技术意义的酵母物种的热点。
