Convergence, constraint and the potential for mutualism between ants and gut microbes

Abstract

Ants are a hugely diverse family of eusocial insects that dominate terrestrial ecosystems all over the planet. Did mutualistic gut microbes help ants to achieve their diversity and ecological dominance? Initial studies suggested the potential for widespread convergence in ant gut bacterial communities based on dietary niche, but it now seems possible that dedicated bacterial symbionts are restricted to a minority of ant lineages (Russell et al., 2017). Nevertheless, as most ants are omnivores, the evidence so far has suggested a broad, positive correlation between the evolution of dietary specialization and ant investment in nutrient-provisioning gut bacteria. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Sapountzis et al. (2019) and Rubin et al. (2019) examine the evolution of gut bacterial communities in two iconic ant taxa-the attine fungus farmers and the Pseudomyrmex plant bodyguards, respectively-in a comparative context. By comparing gut bacteria between ant species of differing dietary specialization within each taxon, these studies demonstrate a hint of convergence in the midst of widespread apparent constraints. These results raise numerous interesting questions about the nature of these apparent constraints and whether they are causes or consequences of varying investment by ants to mutualism with their gut microbes.