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Alves JMC, Nagatani VH, Silva OGM, Ramalho MO, Gonçalves Paterson Fox E, Fernando de Souza R, Yumi Kayano D, Wagner Silva Hilsdorf A, Harakava R, de Castro Morini MS. Hitting the Road: Haplotype Diversity of Fire Ants Nesting on Disturbed Atlantic Forest Habitats. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023:10.1007/s13744-023-01048-y. [PMID: 37310662 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-023-01048-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ants of the genus Solenopsis are globally distributed, presenting high diversity and many generalist species. In South America, the dominant species is Solenopsis saevissima (Smith, 1855), commonly found nesting in grassy fields surrounding humanized areas. In spite of being so common, there has been no research evaluating the effect of human disturbances on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype diversity in this species. In this context, we here characterized the mtDNA haplotype diversity in S. saevissima nests by highway roadsides, dust roads, and forest borders of Atlantic Forest, based on partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). Based on the facts that the species is a rapid colonizer of disturbed habitats, we specifically probed how the genetic diversity of native S. saevissima is impacted by highways and roads infrastructure expanding around the rainforest. Species diagnosis was established both by morphological characters and obtained mtDNA COI sequences. Overall, the species exhibited high haplotypes and nucleotide diversity, particularly around forest borders; though all haplotypes seemed closely related across the different habitats. We identified seven mitochondrial haplotypes (H1 to H7), where haplotype H1 was exclusively found in highway roadside nests, and H7 on dust roads; the remaining haplotypes were recorded from all habitats. Haplotype H1 was geographically isolated to the south of the Atlantic Forest, supporting previous suggestions that it acts as a biogeographical barrier. The pattern is suggestive of a recent species expansion, probably resulting from extensive habitat fragmentation. Taken together, our data demonstrates fire ant haplotypes prevailing in some anthropized habitats, characterizing how a native species lining the remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest might be a concern for environmental conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Maria Conceição Alves
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê - Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Victor Hideki Nagatani
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê - Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Rodrigo Fernando de Souza
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê - Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Debora Yumi Kayano
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê - Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Wagner Silva Hilsdorf
- Laboratório de Genética de Organismos Aquáticos e Aquicultura - Núcleo Integrado de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Doutor Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza, 200, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Harakava
- Unidade Laboratorial de Referência em Biologia Molecular Aplicada, Instituto Biológico, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Santina de Castro Morini
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê - Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
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The Facet of Human Impact: Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972 Spreading around the Atlantic Forest. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The present investigation deals with some aspects of the diversity of fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in their native range. The Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta is native to the tropical and subtropical inland territories of South America. In Brazil, it mainly occurs around the Pantanal region and across the Paraguay river, a region composed of grasslands which are seasonally flooded. Recent studies have evidenced this fire ant species is gradually spreading to other regions of Brazil. In the present investigation, we surveyed the molecular diversity of S. invicta populations across fragments of Atlantic Forest in São Paulo, Brazil, using mtDNA COI haplotypes. Fire ant nests were sampled along the highways lining the northern and southern slope sides of the mountain range Serra do Mar, SP, Brazil. Four haplotypes were identified (H1–H4), which were assessed for similarity to deposited records by other authors, revealing that the haplotypes H1 and H2 are likely of foreign origin through recent reintroduction via a marine port to the south of the Serra do Mar mountain range. On the other hand, the haplotypes H3 and H4, predominating among the inland samples from the northern side of the mountain range, were most similar to previous records from more central regions of Brazil. Haplotypes clustered into distinct supergroups, further pointing to the occurrence of two separate expansion waves of S. invicta in the region. We suggest the obtained pattern indicates the mountain range may function as a geographical barrier deferring gene flow.
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Proteomic characterization of the fibroin-based silk fibers produced by weaver ant Camponotus textor. J Proteomics 2022; 261:104579. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Ramalho MO, Vieira AS, Pereira MC, Moreau CS, Bueno OC. Transovarian Transmission of Blochmannia and Wolbachia Endosymbionts in the Neotropical Weaver Ant Camponotus textor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Curr Microbiol 2018; 75:866-873. [PMID: 29468305 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-018-1459-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Camponotus is a hyper-diverse ant genus that is associated with the obligate endosymbiont Blochmannia, and often also with Wolbachia, but morphological studies on the location of these bacteria in the queen's ovaries during oogenesis remain limited. In the present study, we used the Neotropical weaver ant Camponotus textor to characterize the ovary using histology (HE) techniques, and to document the location of Blochmannia and Wolbachia during oogenesis through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). This is the first morphological report of these two bacteria in the same host with polytrophic meroistic ovaries and reveals that Blochmannia is found inside late-stage oocytes and Wolbachia is associated with the nuclei of the nurse cells. Our results provide insights into the developmental sequence of when these bacteria reach the egg, with Blochmannia establishing itself in the egg first, and Wolbachia only reaching the egg shortly before completing egg development. Studies such as this provide understanding about the mechanisms and timing of the establishment of these endosymbionts in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Oliveira Ramalho
- Departament of Biology e Center for Studies on Social Insects, Biosciense Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil. .,Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Science and Education, Integrative Research Center, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
| | - Alexsandro Santana Vieira
- Departament of Biology e Center for Studies on Social Insects, Biosciense Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Mayara Cristina Pereira
- Departament of Biology e Center for Studies on Social Insects, Biosciense Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Corrie Saux Moreau
- Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Science and Education, Integrative Research Center, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Odair Correa Bueno
- Departament of Biology e Center for Studies on Social Insects, Biosciense Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Avenida 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
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Vieira AS, Ramalho MO, Martins C, Martins VG, Bueno OC. Microbial Communities in Different Tissues of Atta sexdens rubropilosa Leaf-cutting Ants. Curr Microbiol 2017; 74:1216-1225. [PMID: 28721658 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-017-1307-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial endosymbionts are common in all insects, and symbiosis has played an integral role in ant evolution. Atta sexdens rubropilosa leaf-cutting ants cultivate their symbiotic fungus using fresh leaves. They need to defend themselves and their brood against diseases, but they also need to defend their obligate fungus gardens, their primary food source, from infection, parasitism, and usurpation by competitors. This study aimed to characterize the microbial communities in whole workers and different tissues of A. sexdens rubropilosa queens using Ion Torrent NGS. Our results showed that the microbial community in the midgut differs in abundance and diversity from the communities in the postpharyngeal gland of the queen and in whole workers. The main microbial orders in whole workers were Lactobacillales, Clostridiales, Enterobacteriales, Actinomycetales, Burkholderiales, and Bacillales. In the tissues of the queens, the main orders were Burkholderiales, Clostridiales, Syntrophobacterales, Lactobacillales, Bacillales, and Actinomycetales (midgut) and Entomoplasmatales, unclassified γ-proteobacteria, and Actinomycetales (postpharyngeal glands). The high abundance of Entomoplasmatales in the postpharyngeal glands (77%) of the queens was an unprecedented finding. We discuss the role of microbial communities in different tissues and castes. Bacteria are likely to play a role in nutrition and immune defense as well as helping antimicrobial defense in this ant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexsandro S Vieira
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil.
| | - Manuela O Ramalho
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Cintia Martins
- Universidade Federal do Piauí - Campus Ministro Reis Velloso, Av. São Sebastião, 2819, Parnaíba, Piauí, 64.202-020, Brazil
| | - Vanderlei G Martins
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Odair C Bueno
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil
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Weaving through a cryptic species: Comparing the Neotropical ants Camponotus senex and Camponotus textor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Micron 2017; 99:56-66. [PMID: 28437732 DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2017.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Camponotus senex (Fr. Smith 1858) and Camponotus textor Forel, 1899 are commonly confused species in the New World tropics. We provide morphological characteristics based on the larvae and adults, behavioural differences, together with evidence from molecular markers (cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, venom differences, nuclear ribosomal ITS-1, and mtDNA COI sequence comparisons) to separate the two species, demonstrating they are not immediately closely related. In conclusion we suggest new reliable morphological characters which can benefit from deeper phenetic analysis, and support the contextual usefulness of non-morphological tools in resolving sibling ant species.
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Ramalho MO, Martins C, Silva LMR, Martins VG, Bueno OC. Intracellular Symbiotic Bacteria of Camponotus textor, Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Curr Microbiol 2017; 74:589-597. [PMID: 28261755 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-017-1201-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
This study focuses on the weaver ant, Camponotus textor, Forel which occurs in some areas of the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, and its symbionts: Blochmannia, an obligate symbiont of Camponotus, and Wolbachia, known for causing reproductive alterations in their hosts. The main goal of this study was to investigate the presence, frequency of occurrence, and diversity of Wolbachia and Blochmannia strains in C. textor colonies. We found high infection rates (100%) and the occurrence of at least two distinct strains of Blochmannia (H_1 or H_7) in the same species. The observed haplotype variation within a single species may result from the high mutation rate of the symbiont. Similarly, the Wolbachia was found in all colonies with different rates of infections and a new strain (supergroup A) was deposited in the MLST database. The diversity found in the present study shows that there is still much to explore to understand about these symbiotic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela O Ramalho
- Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" UNESP - Campus Rio Claro, Biologia, CEIS, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil.
| | - Cintia Martins
- Universidade Federal do Piauí - Campus Ministro Reis Velloso, Av. São Sebastião, 2819, 64.202-020, Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil
| | - Larissa M R Silva
- Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" UNESP - Campus Rio Claro, Biologia, CEIS, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Vanderlei G Martins
- Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" UNESP - Campus Rio Claro, Biologia, CEIS, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Odair C Bueno
- Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" UNESP - Campus Rio Claro, Biologia, CEIS, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
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Ramalho MOF, Santos RM, Fernandes TT, Morini MSC, Bueno OC. "Cytochrome c oxidase I DNA sequence of Camponotus ants with different nesting strategies is a tool for distinguishing between morphologically similar species". Genetica 2016; 144:375-83. [PMID: 27220863 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-016-9906-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The great diversity of Camponotus, high levels of geographic, intraspecific and morphological variation common to most species of this genus make the determination of the interspecific limits of Camponotus a complex task. The Cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) gene was sequenced in this study to serve as an auxiliary tool in the identification of two taxa of Camponotus thought to be morphologically similar. Additionally, characteristics related to nesting were described. Five to fifteen workers from twenty-one colonies were analyzed, collected from twigs scattered in the leaf litter and from trees located in different regions of Brazil. Phylogenetic reconstructions, haplotype network, and nesting strategies confirmed the existence of two species and that they correspond to Camponotus senex and Camponotus textor. Our results emphasize that the COI can be used as an additional tool for the identification of morphologically similar Camponotus species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela O F Ramalho
- Biologia, CEIS, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil.
| | - Rodrigo M Santos
- Biologia, NCA, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Campus de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil
| | - Tae T Fernandes
- Biologia, NCA, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Campus de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil
| | - Maria Santina C Morini
- Biologia, NCA, Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Campus de Mogi das Cruzes, Av. Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil
| | - Odair C Bueno
- Biologia, CEIS, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
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