Marching with microbes: bacterial communities of the army ants

Previous studies have identified significant and coevolved symbiotic relationships between bacteria and ants.  But to-date, most of this focus has been placed on fungus-growing and carpenter ants, which comprise a small percentage of the existing diversity within the ant family Formicidae.  To address this shortcoming, we have initiated a broad-scale molecular survey for bacteria across the ants, finding that these hymenopterans harbor a diverse suite of microbes from several eubacterial phyla.  In this study, we focus on the microbial associates found in four related subfamilies, commonly referred to as the army ants.  Army ants harbored a variety of Wolbachia strains and were enriched for infections by related bacteria from the Mollicutes.  Phylogenetic analyses provide novel insights into the diversity of microbes found within these predaceous insects, while also chronicling the evolution of these intimate and potentially influential associations.