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Fungal enzymes transferred by leaf-cutting ants in their fungus gardens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2004

Stig RØNHEDE
Affiliation:
Department of Mycology, Botanical Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2D, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected]
Jacobus J. BOOMSMA
Affiliation:
Department of Population Ecology, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Søren ROSENDAHL
Affiliation:
Department of Mycology, Botanical Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2D, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Leaf-cutting ants finely fragment the leaf material that they bring to the nest and place faecal droplets on this substrate before incorporating it in the upper part of the fungus-garden. The faecal droplets contain enzymes of which some have been shown to be of fungal origin. Here we explicitly address the enzymatic activity of faecal droplets in the leaf-cutting ants Acromyrmex echinatior and Atta colombica. We used isoelectric focusing and specific staining to show that faecal droplets of both species contain carboxymethylcellulases, laccases, proteases, and pectinases (both pectin esterases and pectin lysases) and we demonstrate that these enzymes originate from the symbiotic fungus and not from the ants themselves. The level of activity of fungal pectin lyase in faecal droplets indicates that fungal enzymes may be protected and possibly concentrated during their passage through the ant gut. This would imply that enzymes that are transferred by ants from mature parts of the fungus gardens may play an important role for the colonization of new substrate by new mycelium of the same fungal clone.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
The British Mycological Society 2004

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