Journal article
Turtle ants harbor metabolically versatile microbiomes with conserved functions across development and phylogeny
FEMS microbiology ecology, v 98(8)
06 Jun 2022
PMID: 35660864
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Gut bacterial symbionts can support animal nutrition by facilitating digestion and providing valuable metabolites. However, changes in symbiotic roles between immature and adult stages are not well documented, especially in ants. Here, we explored the metabolic capabilities of microbiomes sampled from herbivorous turtle ant (Cephalotes sp.) larvae and adult workers through (meta)genomic screening and in vitro metabolic assays. We reveal that larval guts harbor bacterial symbionts with impressive metabolic capabilities, including catabolism of plant and fungal recalcitrant dietary fibers and energy-generating fermentation. Additionally, several members of the specialized adult gut microbiome, sampled downstream of an anatomical barrier that dams large food particles, show a conserved potential to depolymerize many dietary fibers. Symbionts from both life stages have the genomic capacity to recycle nitrogen and synthesize amino acids and B-vitamins. With help of their gut symbionts, including several bacteria likely acquired from the environment, turtle ant larvae may aid colony digestion and contribute to colony-wide nitrogen, B-vitamin and energy budgets. In addition, the conserved nature of the digestive capacities among adult-associated symbionts suggests that nutritional ecology of turtle ant colonies has long been shaped by specialized, behaviorally-transferred gut bacteria with over 45 million years of residency.
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Details
- Title
- Turtle ants harbor metabolically versatile microbiomes with conserved functions across development and phylogeny
- Creators
- Benoît Béchade - Drexel UniversityYi Hu - Drexel UniversityJon G Sanders - Cornell UniversityChristian S Cabuslay - Drexel UniversityPiotr Łukasik - Jagiellonian UniversityBethany R Williams - Calvin UniversityValerie J Fiers - Drexel UniversityRichard Lu - Drexel UniversityJohn T Wertz - Calvin UniversityJacob A Russell - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- FEMS microbiology ecology, v 98(8)
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000828815000005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85134855270
- Other Identifier
- 991019168858504721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Microbiology