Shared Escovopsis parasites between leaf cutting and non leaf cutting ants in the higher attine fungus growing ant symbiosis

Abstract

Fungus-gardening (attine) ants grow fungus for food in protected gardens, which contain beneficial, auxiliary microbes, but also microbes harmful to gardens. Among these potentially pathogenic microorganisms, the most consistently isolated are fungi in the genusEscovopsis,which are thought to co-evolve with ants and their cultivar in a tripartite model.