Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>)
The nests of mound-building ants are unexplored reservoirs of fungal diversity. A previous assessment of this diversity in the nests of <i>Formica ulkei</i> suggested that water availability may be a determinant of the composition of this mycota. To investigate this question, we recovere...
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2024-10-01
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| author | Rachelle M. Gross Courtney L. Geer Jillian D. Perreaux Amin Maharaj Susan Du James A. Scott Wendy A. Untereiner |
| author_facet | Rachelle M. Gross Courtney L. Geer Jillian D. Perreaux Amin Maharaj Susan Du James A. Scott Wendy A. Untereiner |
| author_sort | Rachelle M. Gross |
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| description | The nests of mound-building ants are unexplored reservoirs of fungal diversity. A previous assessment of this diversity in the nests of <i>Formica ulkei</i> suggested that water availability may be a determinant of the composition of this mycota. To investigate this question, we recovered 3594 isolates of filamentous Ascomycota from the nests of <i>Formica obscuripes</i> and adjacent, non-nest sites, employing Dichloran Rose Bengal agar (DRBA), Dichloran Rose Bengal agar containing glycerol (DRBAG), and malt extract agar containing sucrose (MEA20S). Higher numbers of fungi were isolated from the tops of mounds than from within mounds and non-mound sites. Mound nest soils were dominated by members of the family Aspergillaceae, and up to 50% of the colonies isolated on DRBAG belonged to the genus <i>Aspergillus</i>. <i>Pseudogymnoascus pannorum</i> and species of <i>Talaromyces</i> were also present in higher numbers in mound soils. Species of <i>Penicillium</i> were more abundant in non-nest soils, where they accounted for over 66% of isolates on DRBA. All Aspergillaceae assessed for xerotolerance on a medium augmented with glycerol or sucrose were xerophilic. These results, and our observation that the nests of <i>F. obscuripes</i> are low-water environments, indicate that water availability influences the structure of the fungal communities in these animal-modified habitats. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4c4d84b93d8542609dcc7ab9fe3088ba2025-08-20T01:53:57ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2024-10-01101173510.3390/jof10110735Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>)Rachelle M. Gross0Courtney L. Geer1Jillian D. Perreaux2Amin Maharaj3Susan Du4James A. Scott5Wendy A. Untereiner6Department of Biology, Brandon University, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Brandon University, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Brandon University, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, CanadaSporometrics Inc., 219 Dufferin Street, Suite 20-C, Toronto, ON M6K 1Y9, CanadaSporometrics Inc., 219 Dufferin Street, Suite 20-C, Toronto, ON M6K 1Y9, CanadaDivision of Occupational and Environmental Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 223 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R4, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Brandon University, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, CanadaThe nests of mound-building ants are unexplored reservoirs of fungal diversity. A previous assessment of this diversity in the nests of <i>Formica ulkei</i> suggested that water availability may be a determinant of the composition of this mycota. To investigate this question, we recovered 3594 isolates of filamentous Ascomycota from the nests of <i>Formica obscuripes</i> and adjacent, non-nest sites, employing Dichloran Rose Bengal agar (DRBA), Dichloran Rose Bengal agar containing glycerol (DRBAG), and malt extract agar containing sucrose (MEA20S). Higher numbers of fungi were isolated from the tops of mounds than from within mounds and non-mound sites. Mound nest soils were dominated by members of the family Aspergillaceae, and up to 50% of the colonies isolated on DRBAG belonged to the genus <i>Aspergillus</i>. <i>Pseudogymnoascus pannorum</i> and species of <i>Talaromyces</i> were also present in higher numbers in mound soils. Species of <i>Penicillium</i> were more abundant in non-nest soils, where they accounted for over 66% of isolates on DRBA. All Aspergillaceae assessed for xerotolerance on a medium augmented with glycerol or sucrose were xerophilic. These results, and our observation that the nests of <i>F. obscuripes</i> are low-water environments, indicate that water availability influences the structure of the fungal communities in these animal-modified habitats.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/10/11/735<i>Aspergillus</i>available soil nutrientslow-water-activity habitats<i>Penicillium</i><i>Pseudogymnoascus</i>mound-building ants |
| spellingShingle | Rachelle M. Gross Courtney L. Geer Jillian D. Perreaux Amin Maharaj Susan Du James A. Scott Wendy A. Untereiner Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>) Journal of Fungi <i>Aspergillus</i> available soil nutrients low-water-activity habitats <i>Penicillium</i> <i>Pseudogymnoascus</i> mound-building ants |
| title | Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>) |
| title_full | Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>) |
| title_short | Xerophilic Aspergillaceae Dominate the Communities of Culturable Fungi in the Mound Nests of the Western Thatching Ant (<i>Formica obscuripes</i>) |
| title_sort | xerophilic aspergillaceae dominate the communities of culturable fungi in the mound nests of the western thatching ant i formica obscuripes i |
| topic | <i>Aspergillus</i> available soil nutrients low-water-activity habitats <i>Penicillium</i> <i>Pseudogymnoascus</i> mound-building ants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/10/11/735 |
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