Bacterial Diversity in Leaf-Cutter Ant Species: Host-Microbe Interactions and Environmental Effects

Historically, studies have sought to identify host-specific factors in host-microbe interactions as a means of understanding evolutionary success. The genus Atta, comprising leaf-cutter ants, is native to the southern Neotropics and obligately mutualistic with cultivated fungi. It hosts a remarkably diverse range of bacterial communities, yet this variability remains poorly understood. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes of the whole worker, we showed significant difference between the bacterial communities among 4 dominant Atta species: Atta sexdens (Linnaeus), Atta laevigata (Smith), Atta capiguara (Gonçalves), and Atta bisphaerica (Forel). We also discovered significant differences in bacterial communities from laboratory conditions, pesticide treatment, and the fungal garden symbiont of Atta sexdens. Surprisingly, bacterial communities of Atta sexdens kept in the laboratory were not significantly different from pesticide-treated Atta sexdens, laying the groundwork for potential refinement of standard research methods.