Abstract
Purpureocillium lilacinum (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) is a cosmopolitan fungus not only pathogenic to insect and nematode hosts but also to other fungi. Although having one organism with multiple effects would be desirable in a biocontrol strategy, few studies have looked at the multiple roles one strain could play. This work shows how three strains of P. lilacinum, previously proven to be entomopathogenic to leaf-cutter ants (LCA), could degrade several strains of Leucoagaricus sp., the fungus cultivated by LCA as their food source. We isolated four strains of Leucoagaricus sp. from Acromyrmex and Atta LCA species, and we determined their species molecularly, as well as their clade identity (Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, clade-A). We observed the effects on growth rates on Petri dishes and the interaction of microscopic structures of both fungi on slides. All three P. lilacinum strains inhibited the growth of L. gongylophorus. They also degraded all L. gongylophorus isolated from the Acromyrmex species, causing hyphae expansion and degradation of the cell wall. However, only one of them succeeded in degrading the L. gongylophorus strain isolated from the Atta species. The results confirm the damage to the hyphae of ant cultivars and highlight the need for future studies that reveal whether such behavior is due to P. lilacinum’s mycoparasitic behavior. Using a single P. lilacinum strain with a dual function that includes the degradation of the cultivar of LCA of both genera would be a very promising strategy for the biocontrol of one of the worst herbivore pests in the Neotropics.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank L. Alejandra Osorio Giraldo for technical support. We also thank Corrientes Province and El Palmar National Park from Entre Ríos for collection permits, and Capovilla family for allowing us to work in their ranch in Santa Fé.
Funding
This study was supported by the National Agency for Science and Technology Promotion (ANPCyT; grants PICT 1936, 2010 and PICT 1145, 2016) and the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (PUNQ 1351, 2017 and PUNQ 1288, 2019) to P. J. F.
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P. J. F. conceived the study and panned the experiments. D. G. performed the experiments and analyzed the data under the guidance of P. J. F. The first draft of the manuscript was written by D. G. and P. F. commented on new versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Goffre, D., Folgarait, P.J. Entomopathogenic Strains of the Fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum Damage the Fungus Cultivar of Pest Leaf-Cutter Ants. Neotrop Entomol 52, 731–741 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-023-01052-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-023-01052-2