Epizoic and Endozoic Transmission of the Fungal Symbionts by the Ambrosia Beetle Xyleborus saxeseni (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Francke-Grosmann, H.

doi:10.1127/entom.germ/1/1975/279

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Against this hypothesis speaks the observation that the mycetangial glands are only active before and during adult female dispersal, but are reduced soon after ejection of fungal spores and establishment of a fungus garden (65,66). In X. saxesenii release from selective secretions may be happening through the gut, however, because adult females in this species use the gut as a second mycetangium for transmitting R. sulphurea (34). Similarly, both termite faeces and saliva have anti-microbial/-fungal activity and have been implicated to reduce the microbial load when applied on dead nestmates (67,68).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This means that the diversity and abundance of both cultivars and secondary symbionts was inherited over generations. For the cultivars that was expected, given that X. saxesenii females vertically transmit spores of their Raffaelea cultivars in elytral mycetangia and the gut (34). However, it is fascinating that this strong signature of family even prevails when females are removed from the nest and symbiont communities grow without the beetle’s presence (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, they provide their hosts with nutrients (i.e., vitamins, amino acids and sterols (28,29) and essential elements (N, P), which are translocated from the surrounding wood and are strongly concentrated within the fungal tissues the beetles feed on (30). Ambrosia fungus spores are vertically transmitted in the mycetangia (pouch-like structures) or guts of typically female beetles, when they disperse to found new nests and establish their own fungus gardens (31)(32)(33)(34). Besides the primary ambrosia fungi, the symbiont community of the beetles consists of other members, such as yeasts (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The life-cycle starts with the dispersal of an adult female accompanied by two nutritionally important ambrosia fungi (Raffaelea sulphurea and R. canadensis (Ascomycetes: Ophiostomatales)) within their elytral mycetangia and the gut. These fungi are vertically transmitted to a newly excavated tunnel system in the xylem of a freshly dead tree (34,38,40) Given that R. sulphurea dominates young nests and R. canadensis overtakes the garden community in older nests, it has been assumed that the first primarily serves the larvae and the later nurtures the adults (38,44). Nests fail if at least one of these fungal mutualists does not establish or other secondary symbionts (i.e., Penicillium, Nectria, Chaetomium and Aspergillus species) overgrow gardens initially (6,38,40,46).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First experimental evidence for active farming in ambrosia beetles and strong heredity of garden microbiomes

Diehl

Kowallik

Keller

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Fungal cultivation is a defining feature for advanced agriculture in attine ants and fungus-farming termites. In a third supposedly fungus-farming group, wood-colonizing ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae), an experimental proof for the effectiveness of beetle activity for selective promotion of their food fungi over others is lacking and farming has only been assumed based on observations of social and hygienic behaviors. Here, we experimentally removed mothers and their offspring from young nests of the fruit-tree pinhole borer, Xyleborinus saxesenii (Scolytinae). By amplicon sequencing of bacterial and fungal communities of nests with and without beetles we could show that beetles are indeed able to actively shift symbiont communities. Although being consumed, the Raffaelea food fungi were more abundant when beetles were present while a weed fungus (Chaetomium sp.) as well as overall bacterial diversity were reduced in comparison to nests without beetles. Core symbiont communities were generally low diverse and there were strong signs for vertical transmission not only for the cultivars, but also for secondary symbionts. Our findings verify the existence of active farming, even though the exact mechanisms underlying the selective promotion and/or suppression of symbionts need further investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

First experimental evidence for active farming in ambrosia beetles and strong heredity of garden microbiomes

Diehl

Kowallik

Keller

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon profiles but no evidence for aggression towards non‐kin in the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii

Melet,

Leibold,

Schmitt

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Animal societies use nestmate recognition to protect against social cheaters and parasites. In most social insect societies, individuals recognize and exclude any non‐nestmates and the roles of cuticular hydrocarbons as recognition cues are well documented. Some ambrosia beetles live in cooperatively breeding societies with farmed fungus cultures that are challenging to establish, but of very high value once established. Hence, social cheaters that sneak into a nest without paying the costs of nest foundation may be selected. Therefore, nestmate recognition is also expected to exist in ambrosia beetles, but so far nobody has investigated this behavior and its underlying mechanisms. Here we studied the ability for nestmate recognition in the cooperatively breeding ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii, combining behavioural observations and cuticular hydrocarbon analyses. Laboratory nests of X. saxesenii were exposed to foreign adult females from the same population, another population and another species. Survival as well as the behaviours of the foreign female were observed. The behaviours of the receiving individuals were also observed. We expected that increasing genetic distance would cause increasing distance in chemical profiles and increasing levels of behavioural exclusion and possibly mortality. Chemical profiles differed between populations and appeared as variable as in other highly social insects. However, we found only very little evidence for the behavioural exclusion of foreign individuals. Interpopulation donors left nests at a higher rate than control donors, but neither their behaviours nor the behaviours of receiver individuals within the nest showed any response to the foreign individual in either of the treatments. These results suggest that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles might be used for communication and nestmate recognition, but that behavioural exclusion of non‐nestmates is either absent in X. saxesenii or that agonistic encounters are so rare or subtle that they could not be detected by our method. Additional studies are needed to investigate this further.

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Fungal Associates of European Bark Beetles With Special Emphasis on the Ophiostomatoid Fungi

Kirisits

2007

Bark and Wood Boring Insects in Living Trees in Europe, a Synthesis

214

304

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Epizoic and Endozoic Transmission of the Fungal Symbionts by the Ambrosia Beetle Xyleborus saxeseni (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Cited by 18 publications

References 0 publications

First experimental evidence for active farming in ambrosia beetles and strong heredity of garden microbiomes

First experimental evidence for active farming in ambrosia beetles and strong heredity of garden microbiomes

Highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon profiles but no evidence for aggression towards non‐kin in the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii

Fungal Associates of European Bark Beetles With Special Emphasis on the Ophiostomatoid Fungi

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