Researchers studying the public wellness organization of leafcutter ants in Panama have discovered that these societal insects synthesise large amounts disinfectant to conflict parasitic fungal infections . Thefindingswere published inProceedings of the Royal Society Bthis hebdomad .
When destiny of creature ( or citizenry for that affair ) populate together in bombastic societies , it can become really unmanageable to manage diseases . In our history , the disease essence was especially high during theNeolithic agricultural revolutionthat began a several thousand year ago and during the period of urbanization that followed – we did n’t get things under control until the dawning of mod antibiotics in the last duo centuries . twist out , societal insects last in agricultural society confront like challenges .
Leafcutter ants ( genusAtta ) live in colonies made up of zillion of person . They ’re Farmer who naturalise fungus for nutrients , but specialized fungal pathogens , likeEscovopsis , lurk around as well . Over million of years , these fungus Farmer have abandoned their ancestors ’ antibiotic - based biological control : Rather than depend on bacteria and other microbes to fight off the fungi , some leafcutter species get to trust to a great extent on chemical substance secretions to command infections . Their extra metapleural glands synthesise large quantities of a foul - smack antimicrobic broker called phenylacetic Elvis .
To analyze this little investigated antimicrobic federal agent , INDICASAT ’s Hermógenes Fernández - Marín and fellow worker created multiple colonies of 16Attaspecies in the laboratory using emmet accumulate from Soberania National Park or near Gamboa in central Panama . After experimentally infecting the colonies , the team examine four specific disease defense behaviors of the ants : “ lick ” their fungous garden to dispatch contaminated particle ( fungal preparation ) , bringing the opening of their metapleural secretory organ into contact their forelegs to then apply onto the contagion author ( MG grooming ) , transplant a piece of levelheaded fungus into an infected garden country ( cultivar planting ) , and removing a man of the fungous garden into the scraps garbage dump ( weed ) .
sure as shooting enough , phenylacetic acid is a justificatory chemical compound in effect at controlling fungal pathogens . The low worker ant , in particular , greatly reduced the spread of fungal spore by apply phenylacetic Elvis secretions to the contagion in their garden . As the ants formed larger colonies , their uttermost caste organisation became even more differentiated : That subset of small worker ants developed enlarged metapleural glands , and they seemed to particularise in these search - and - destroy operations .
So far , there ’ve been no known instances of anEscovopsisoutbreak destroying a colony , Science reports , though fungus populations living alongside these ants are becoming less sore to phenylacetic acid . ( The distinctive next step in an evolutionary arms race . ) luckily for now , the ants ’ chemic pest management organization seems to forestall the rise of insubordinate tune : They only employ their germicide when there ’s an actual infection , and only on the infected domain , thanks to their precise grooming summons .
