The impact of microbial symbionts on host plant utilization by herbivorous insects

AK Hansen, NA Moran - Molecular ecology, 2014 - Wiley Online Library
Herbivory, defined as feeding on live plant tissues, is characteristic of highly successful and
diverse groups of insects and represents an evolutionarily derived mode of feeding. Plants …

Insecticidal and antifungal chemicals produced by plants: a review

I Boulogne, P Petit, H Ozier-Lafontaine… - Environmental chemistry …, 2012 - Springer
Leaf-cutting ants of the Attini tribe are a major pest of agricultural and forestry productions in
the New World. Economic losses caused by these ants were estimated at several million …

Ecology of extracellular enzyme activities and organic matter degradation in soil: a complex community‐driven process

MD Wallenstein, RG Burns - Methods of soil enzymology, 2011 - Wiley Online Library
This chapter presents the functions and ecology of enzymes involved in decomposition to
provide context and assistance for interpreting enzyme assay outcomes involved in …

Metagenomic and metaproteomic insights into bacterial communities in leaf-cutter ant fungus gardens

FO Aylward, KE Burnum, JJ Scott, G Suen… - The ISME …, 2012 - academic.oup.com
Herbivores gain access to nutrients stored in plant biomass largely by harnessing the
metabolic activities of microbes. Leaf-cutter ants of the genus Atta are a hallmark example; …

Evolutionary transitions in enzyme activity of ant fungus gardens

HH De Fine Licht, M Schiøtt, UG Mueller… - …, 2010 - academic.oup.com
Fungus-growing (attine) ants and their fungal symbionts passed through several
evolutionary transitions during their 50 million year old evolutionary history. The basal attine …

Yeasts and filamentous fungi carried by the gynes of leaf-cutting ants

FC Pagnocca, A Rodrigues, NS Nagamoto… - Antonie van …, 2008 - Springer
Insect-associated microbes exhibit a wide range of interactions with their hosts. One
example of such interactions is the insect-driven dispersal of microorganisms, which plays …

The fungal cultivar of leaf‐cutter ants produces specific enzymes in response to different plant substrates

L Khadempour, KE Burnum‐Johnson… - Molecular …, 2016 - Wiley Online Library
Herbivores use symbiotic microbes to help derive energy and nutrients from plant material.
Leaf‐cutter ants are a paradigmatic example, cultivating their mutualistic fungus …

Into the bowels of tropical earth: leaf-cutting ants and the colonial making of agrarian Brazil

D de Carvalho Cabral - Journal of Historical Geography, 2015 - Elsevier
In this article, I build upon Warren Dean's hypothesis that if there were more effective means
to combat leaf-cutting ants in the colonial era the agrarian history of Brazil would have been …

The dynamics of plant cell-wall polysaccharide decomposition in leaf-cutting ant fungus gardens

IE Moller, HH De Fine Licht, J Harholt, WGT Willats… - PLoS …, 2011 - journals.plos.org
The degradation of live plant biomass in fungus gardens of leaf-cutting ants is poorly
characterised but fundamental for understanding the mutual advantages and efficiency of …

Towards a molecular understanding of symbiont function: identification of a fungal gene for the degradation of xylan in the fungus gardens of leaf-cutting ants

M Schiøtt, HH De Fine Licht, L Lange, JJ Boomsma - BMC microbiology, 2008 - Springer
Background Leaf-cutting ants live in symbiosis with a fungus that they rear for food by
providing it with live plant material. Until recently the fungus' main inferred function was to …