Formigas cultivadoras de fungos: estado da arte e direcionamento para pesquisas futuras

Abstract

A tribo Attini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) compreende 14 gêneros com aproximadamente 230 espécies de formigas descritas que estão envolvidas em um mutualismo obrigatório com fungos. Este fungo é cultivado no interior das colônias para a alimentação das formigas, e tem como substrato uma variedade de material orgânico. O fungo é utilizado na dieta das formigas, que em retribuição fornecem ao fungo substratos para o crescimento, proteção contra parasitas ou competidores e asseguram a sua reprodução. Embora todas as espécies da tribo cultivem fungo, essas formigas são bastante heterogêneas em relação ao sistema de agricultura, tamanho da colônia e estrutura social, métodos de cultivo do fungo, forrageamento, etc. Nestarevisão são discutidas as principais características da agricultura, simbiose e história natural das formigas cultivadoras de fungos, bem como o direcionamento para as pesquisas futuras com essas formigas

Germinated kamut wheat (Triticum turgidum), quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and mung bean (Vigna radiata). An alternative for the feeding of colonies of ants Atta cephalotes under laboratory conditions.

“…It can be inferred that the pseudocereals show a nutritional potential for Atta cephalotes cutter ants, since the operator ants load during the foraging activity or food sources that help the development of the symbiote fungus [3], [4]. These results agree with the nutritional reports of pseudocereals whose main component is starches [44], and are considered as a source of macronutrients and micronutrients including proteins, fiber, fats, minerals and vitamins [45], [46].…”

“…Within their distinctive behaviors it is highlighted that they have the habit of cutting and transporting diverse vegetable fragments to their underground nests for the cultivation of the fungus Leucoagaricus sp., with which they present a symbiotic relationship characterized by a complete mutual dependence in which the ants fulfill their function of cutting plant material and transporting it inside the antbeds and the fungus in turn to grow provides food to the ants [1], [2]. This fungus is the only source of food for the larvae of cutter ants, so ants must cultivate it and generally do it with leaves, flowers and fruits that collect selectively, which have necessary nutrients that allow their proper growth [3], [4]. Cutter ants have been considered as agricultural pests due to their forage activity that causes the destruction of crops, forests and crops of agronomic importance such as yucca (Manihot sculenta), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), coffee (Coffea arabica), maize (Zea mays), cane (Saccharum offinarum), (Citrus sp), mango (Manguifera indiga), as well as forest species of interest such as eucalyptus (Eucaliptus sp) and pine (Pinus patula), causing losses of economic importance that generate the need to apply control strategies with chemically synthesized pesticides, characterized by their high toxicity.…”

Microbial composition of spiny ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Polyrhachis) across their geographic range

“…In addition colonies may vary in size from few to thousands of individuals [7, 11–13] with many species using larval silk to weave nests among plant leaves, a behavior that has been lost several times in the genus [4]. Additionally, Polyrhachis is one of the few examples from the subfamily Formicinae known to have semiclaustral colony foundation [14], where the queen will exit the nest during early colony foundation to forage in an attempt to obtain food resources, despite the danger of predation, unlike claustral nest foundation [15]. Recently Mezger and Moreau [10] in a large study (209 taxa) covering almost the entire distribution of the genus inferred the phylogeny and biogeography of the genus.…”

Biocontrole de formiga cortadeira do gênero Acromyrmex por fungos entomopatogênicos

“…As formigas cortadeiras, dos gêneros Atta (saúvas) e Acromyrmex (quenquéns), fazem corte do material vegetal fresco, com preferência por certas espécies vegetais que podem ser dos grupos das monocotiledôneas, dicotiledôneas ou ambas, atuando na desfolha desses vegetais (Borba et al, 2006). Podem utilizar tanto vegetação nativa, quanto espécies cultivadas pelo homem, sendo consideradas pragas agrícolas, por promoverem danos econômicos severos, especialmente em pastagens, cultivos de cana-de-açúcar, eucalipto e jardins ornamentais, durante o seu forrageio (Baccaro et al, 2015;Nickele et al, 2013).…”