Teodoro Thais Berçot Pontes, Carolino Aline Teixeira, Queiroz Raymyson Rhuryo de Sousa, Oliveira Patrícia Batista de, Moreira Denise Dolores Oliveira, Silva Gerson Adriano, Samuels Richard Ian
Laboratório de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil.
Pathogens. 2023 Feb 15;12(2):330. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12020330.
The maintenance of the symbiosis between leaf-cutting ants and their mutualistic fungus Singer (Moller) is vital for the survival of both species. The specialist fungal parasite Muchovej & Della Lucia is a threat to this symbiosis, causing severe damage to the fungal garden. Mycelial pellets are resistant fungal structures that can be produced under laboratory conditions. These structures were studied for use in biological pest control, but the production of mycelial pellets has not previously been documented in . One of the aims of this study was to induce to produce mycelial pellets and investigate the potential of these pellets for the control of leaf-cutting ants. We compared the pathogenicity of mycelial pellets and conidia against mini-colonies of Forel when applied in the form of baits. Worker ants were able to distinguish mycelial pellets from conidia, as baits with mycelial pellets were more attractive to workers than those with conidia, causing a greater negative impact on colony health. All types of baits containing influenced the foraging activity but only treatments with viable fungal propagules resulted in an increase in the quantity of waste material, with a significant negative impact on the fungal garden biomass. The results provided novel information regarding recognition by worker ants and differences between conidia and mycelial pellet dynamics in leaf-cutting ant colonies, with new perspectives for the biological control of these important pests.
切叶蚁与其共生真菌辛格（莫勒）之间共生关系的维持对两个物种的生存至关重要。专性真菌寄生虫穆乔韦伊和德拉·卢西亚对这种共生关系构成威胁，会对真菌菌圃造成严重损害。菌丝颗粒是在实验室条件下能够产生的抗性真菌结构。这些结构曾被研究用于生物害虫防治，但此前在……中尚未记录过菌丝颗粒的产生。本研究的目的之一是诱导……产生菌丝颗粒，并研究这些颗粒用于防治切叶蚁的潜力。当以诱饵形式施用时，我们比较了……菌丝颗粒和分生孢子对福雷尔小型蚁群的致病性。工蚁能够区分菌丝颗粒和分生孢子，因为含有菌丝颗粒的诱饵比含有分生孢子的诱饵对工蚁更具吸引力，对蚁群健康造成更大的负面影响。所有含有……的诱饵类型都会影响觅食活动，但只有用活真菌繁殖体处理才会导致废料数量增加，对真菌菌圃生物量产生显著负面影响。这些结果提供了关于工蚁对……的识别以及切叶蚁群中分生孢子和菌丝颗粒动态差异的新信息，为这些重要害虫的生物防治提供了新视角。
