Ant-fungus mutualism
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Ant-fungus mutualism is a verifiable symbiosis seen in certain ant and fungal species, where ants actively cultivate fungus much like humans farm crops as a food source. Interestingly, both ant and fungus are completely dependent on each other for survival. The Leafcutter ant is a well known example of this symbiosis. A mutualism with fungus is also noted in some species of termite in Africa
General overview
This mutualism is thought to have originated in the basin of the Amazon rainforest some 50-65 million years ago. The attine ant species actively grow the fungal cultivar, much like human farming. The ants provide defense for the fungal garden and help propagate the fungus, and the fungus provides nutrients for the ants in specialized structures known as gongylidia. This mutualism is further complicated by the introduction of two other factors, a fungal parasite Escovopsis and a bacterial species residing on the ants' integuments that assists in defending the fungus from this parasite through the production of secondary metabolites.External links
References
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