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Ant farmers practice proactive personal hygiene to protect their fungus crop

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 12:34 authored by Citlalli Morelos-Juárez, Thomas N Walker, Juliane F S Lopes, William HughesWilliam Hughes
Agricultural systems often involve monocultures that are vulnerable to competitors and pathogens. Successful agriculture, therefore, relies on preventing the contamination of the crop by detrimental organisms or on removing such organisms. The fungus-growing ants exhibit one of the most ancient forms of agriculture, farming a clonal fungal crop that is highly susceptible to competitive and pathogenic microorganisms [1] and [2]. Like human farmers, the ants have a suite of reactive and prophylactic defence mechanisms, including the application of pesticides and weeding [3], [4] and [5]. Here, we show that fungus-growing ants also engage in proactive self-cleaning behaviour to remove undetected microbes and prevent them from contaminating the vulnerable fungal crop. Although many social animals show reactive hygiene, the behaviour detailed here is proactive and a response to the detection of vulnerable individuals rather than the threat itself.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Current Biology

ISSN

0960-9822

Issue

13

Volume

20

Page range

R553-4

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-10-30

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