Ant's Nest as a microenvironment: Distinct Mucoromycota (Fungi) community of the red wood ants' (Formica polyctena) mounds

Igor Siedlecki; Michał Kochanowski; Julia Pawłowska; Gabriela Reszotnik; Alicja Okrasińska; Marta Wrzosek

doi:10.1002/ece3.70333

journal article Open Access Oct 01, 2024

Ant's Nest as a microenvironment: Distinct Mucoromycota (Fungi) community of the red wood ants' (Formica polyctena) mounds

Igor Siedlecki

Michał Kochanowski Julia Pawłowska Gabriela Reszotnik Alicja Okrasińska Marta Wrzosek

Ecology and Evolution Vol. 14 No. 10 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/ece3.70333

Abstract

AbstractMany social insect species build nests, which differ from the surrounding environment and are often occupied by specific organismal communities. These organisms may interact mutualistically or parasitically with the nest‐builders, or simply co‐occur, being able to survive in these microenvironments. In temperate forests, red wood ants (e.g. Formica polyctena) are known to create distinct, highly developed nests, which consist of large, above‐ground mounds, built primarily out of plant matter collected from the forest litter. The microorganismal communities of such mounds remain understudied. As representatives of Mucoromycota fungi commonly engage in the decomposition process of the forest litter, they would be expected to occur in the mounds. However, it is still not known whether the Mucoromycota community of these ants' nests differ from the one of the surrounding forest litter. In order to distinguish mound‐associated taxa, we characterized Mucoromycota communities of Formica polyctena mounds and the surrounding forest litter. We sampled four sites, twice in a season. Sampled material was plated on agar media and emerging Mucoromycota colonies were identified based on their morphology. Fungal identification was further confirmed using DNA barcoding. In order to compare described communities, PERMANOVA test and non‐metric multidimensional scaling ordinations were used. To distinguish taxa associated with the mounds, multilevel pattern analysis was performed. Our results show that the Mucoromycota community of Formica polyctena's mound differs from the community of the surrounding forest litter. While representatives of Entomortierella lignicola and Absidia cylindrospora clade were found to be associated with the mound environment, representatives of Umbelopsis curvata and Podila verticillata‐humilis clade were associated with forest litter, and were rarely present in the mounds. Our findings strongly suggest that the red wood ants' nest is a specific microenvironment in the temperate forest floor, which is a preferred microhabitat for the mound‐associated Mucoromycota, possibly adapted to live in proximity to ants.

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Published: Oct 01, 2024
Vol/Issue: 14(10)
License: View

Authors

I

Igor Siedlecki

Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland; Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

M

Michał Kochanowski

Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

J

Julia Pawłowska

Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

G

Gabriela Reszotnik

Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland; Faculty of Agriculture and Ecology Warsaw University of Life Sciences Warsaw Poland

A

Alicja Okrasińska

Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

M

Marta Wrzosek

Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

Cite This Article

Igor Siedlecki, Michał Kochanowski, Julia Pawłowska, et al. (2024). Ant's Nest as a microenvironment: Distinct Mucoromycota (Fungi) community of the red wood ants' (Formica polyctena) mounds. Ecology and Evolution, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70333

Ant's Nest as a microenvironment: Distinct Mucoromycota (Fungi) community of the red wood ants' (Formica polyctena) mounds

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