Exploring the gut microbial community of the fungus farming ant Trachymyrmex septentrionalis of the NJ Pine Barrens

The investigation of gut microbes of invertebrates, especially ants, is of increasing interest. Bacterial strains (or more likely combinations of bacterial strains) living inside of insects can aid in digestion, affect reproduction, or defend against pathogens. Much is known about the cuticular bacterial symbionts of the fungus farming ant Trachymyrmex septentrionalis, which defend against harmful bacteria, but little is known about this ant's gut bacteria. T. septentrionalis is an intriguing system for gut microbe studies due to its specialized diet (it only eats a fungus from the genus Leucocoprinus that it grows in the nest) and its extreme geographic location (it is the northernmost of all fungus farming species). Here I identify the internal bacterial community of several colonies of T. septentrionalis collected in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, close the northern frontier of the species’ range.