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New Phytol

Title:		Symbiotic fungi alter plant chemistry that discourages leaf-cutting ants
Author(s):		Estrada C; Wcislo WT; Van Bael SA;
Address:		"Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092, Republic of Panama. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, 400 Lindy Boggs, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA"
Journal Title:		New Phytol
Year:		2013
Volume:		20130213
Issue:		1
Page Number:		241 - 251
DOI:		10.1111/nph.12140
ISSN/ISBN:		1469-8137 (Electronic) 0028-646X (Linking)
Abstract:		"Fungal symbionts that live asymptomatically inside plant tissues (endophytes) can influence plant-insect interactions. Recent work has shown that damage by leaf-cutting ants, a major Neotropical defoliator, is reduced to almost half in plants with high densities of endophytes. We investigated changes in the phenotype of leaves that could influence ants' behavior to result in the reduction of foliar damage. We produced cucumber seedlings with high and low densities of one common endophyte species, Colletotrichum tropicale. We used the leaves in bioassays and to compare chemical and physical leaf characteristics important for ants' food selection. Ants cut about one-third more area of cucumber leaves with lower densities of endophytes and removed c. 20% more paper disks impregnated with the extracts of those leaves compared with leaves and disks from plants hosting the fungus. Colletotrichum tropicale colonization did not cause detectable changes in the composition of volatile compounds, cuticular waxes, nutrients or leaf toughness. Our study shows that endophytes changed leaf chemistry and suggests that compounds with relative low volatility released after leaf wounding are a major factor influencing foraging decisions by ants when choosing between plants with low or high endophyte loads"
Keywords:		"Animals Ants/*physiology Biological Assay Colletotrichum/growth & development/*physiology Colony Count, Microbial Cucumis sativus/chemistry/*microbiology Herbivory/*physiology Plant Epidermis/chemistry Plant Leaves/*chemistry/*microbiology Solvents Symbio;"
Notes:		"MedlineEstrada, Catalina Wcislo, William T Van Bael, Sunshine A eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2013/02/15 New Phytol. 2013 Apr; 198(1):241-251. doi: 10.1111/nph.12140. Epub 2013 Feb 13"