Secrets of Fungus Farming revealed in Leafcutter Ant Genome

This article is written about a study published in the PLoS Genetics journal on February 10, 2011.  An international team of researchers completed the sequencing of the 300 million of DNA that comprise the ant's genome, with the help of Roche Applied Science sequencing technology.  Currently the genome of the fungus the ant's use as food, as well as other microorganisms that are involved in this mutualism are also being sequenced.

The purpose of this study was to show how over the course of evolutionary time, an animal's lifestyle is influental in changing its genetics.  The study actually did show that in over 50 million, due to the leaf cutter ant's symbiotic lifestyle, its was able to remove the genes that other ant species require to obtain nutrients.  A continuing study is going on right now that is connecting the leaf cutter ant's genome to the varying body sizes and "caste system" within a colony.  The researchers are using the DNA to unlock the secrets for why there are large ants with wings that defend the nest, and are the only ones that can mate, and medium-sized ants that gather leafs, and smaller ants that tend to the fungus garden and ant brood.

   Example of the different sizes of the leaf cutter ants "caste system."

This article interested me because the study is using genetics to explain ecological symbiotic relationships between leaf cutter ants and the fungus they eat.  This concept may have the potential to explain symbiotic relationships between other species as well.  There may valuable information in studying the genomes of these relationships.