Biomineral armor in leaf-cutter ants
| Autor: | John H. Fournelle, Caitlin M Carlson, Ana Ješovnik, Yihang Fang, Hans A. Bechtel, Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo, Huifang Xu, Robert Zarnowski, David R. Andes, Pupa U. P. A. Gilbert, Hongjie Li, Chang-Yu Sun, Cameron R. Currie, Ted R. Schultz |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Biomineralization
0106 biological sciences 0301 basic medicine Entomopathogenic fungi Science Anatomical structures General Physics and Astronomy Arthropod cuticle Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Calcium Carbonate Biomaterials 03 medical and health sciences chemistry.chemical_compound Animal Shells Botany Animals Magnesium Calcite Multidisciplinary Ants fungi food and beverages General Chemistry biology.organism_classification ANT Geochemistry 030104 developmental biology Animal groups chemistry Integument Acromyrmex echinatior Entomology |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2020) Nature communications, vol 11, iss 1 Nature Communications |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | Although calcareous anatomical structures have evolved in diverse animal groups, such structures have been unknown in insects. Here, we report the discovery of high-magnesium calcite [CaMg(CO3)2] armor overlaying the exoskeletons of major workers of the leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex echinatior. Live-rearing and in vitro synthesis experiments indicate that the biomineral layer accumulates rapidly as ant workers mature, that the layer is continuously distributed, covering nearly the entire integument, and that the ant epicuticle catalyzes biomineral nucleation and growth. In situ nanoindentation demonstrates that the biomineral layer significantly hardens the exoskeleton. Increased survival of ant workers with biomineralized exoskeletons during aggressive encounters with other ants and reduced infection by entomopathogenic fungi demonstrate the protective role of the biomineral layer. The discovery of biogenic high-magnesium calcite in the relatively well-studied leaf-cutting ants suggests that calcareous biominerals enriched in magnesium may be more common in metazoans than previously recognized. Biomineral armour is known in a number of diverse creatures but has not previously been observed in insects. Here, the authors report on the discovery and characterization of high-magnesium calcite armour which overlays the exoskeletons of leaf-cutter ants. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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