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Comparative Biology of Fungus Cultivation in Termites and Ants

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Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis

Abstract

We review the two known mutualistic symbioses between basidiomycete fungi and social insects: the attine ants and macrotermitine termites, comparing their origin, history and patterns of co-evolution, and stability. It is argued that ants are “specialised farmers of unspecialised crops”, whereas termites are “specialised farmers of specialised crops”. Furthermore, despite differences in symmetry and symbiont transmission mode, in both relationships there is a moderate specificity between partners. The unresolved debate about the main role of the symbiotic fungus in the fungus-growing termites is summarised and contrasted with the role in the fungus in attine ants, which is little debated. We compare colony foundation and structure, and the modes of symbiotic interaction between the two groups of social insects, highlighting gaps in our understanding of both systems. Finally, we discuss how these symbioses can be evolutionarily stable and the mechanisms by which the ant and termite symbionts ensure monopolies of host care. We conclude by identifying some lines of future research within the fungus-growing termite symbiosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Tânia Nobre & Duur K. Aanen

  2. Institut de recherche pour le développement, Unité de recherche Biodiversité et fonctionnement du sol, 93143, Bondy Cedex, France

    Corinne Rouland-Lefèvre

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  1. Tânia Nobre
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  2. Corinne Rouland-Lefèvre
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  3. Duur K. Aanen
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Correspondence to Tânia Nobre .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd., London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom

    David Edward Bignell

  2. Behavioural & Evolutionary Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, Bruxelles, 1050, Belgium

    Yves Roisin

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia

    Nathan Lo

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Nobre, T., Rouland-Lefèvre, C., Aanen, D.K. (2010). Comparative Biology of Fungus Cultivation in Termites and Ants. In: Bignell, D., Roisin, Y., Lo, N. (eds) Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3977-4_8

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