Cultivators of fungi

Fungus-growing ants actively propagate, nurture, and defend Lepiotaceae and other lineages of Escovopsis, and an actinomycetes bacterial symbiont, Pseudonocardia. Types [ ] There are five main types of agriculture that fungus-growing ants practice: C. rimosus group is hypothesized to have evolved growing fungus in a yeast form between 5 and 25 million years ago. The attines [ ] The ants of the Leucocoprineae found in the wild and use "ancestral substrates" composed of plant, wood, arthropod, and flower detritus. The higher attines, on the other hand, use freshly cut grass, leaves, and flowers as their fungi substrate (hence the common name "leafcutter ants") and cultivate highly derived fungi. The symbiosis between attine ants and Leucoagaricus fungi is not purely beneficial, but obligatory. The fungal cultivar provides the ants with food, but limits their diet to the monoculture gongylidia growth. Without the ants, the L. gongylophorus cultivar monoculture would be highly susceptible to infections. Escovopsis. Partner fidelity [ ] Partner fidelity can be witnessed through vertical gene transmission of fungi when a new colony is begun. Studies done (with the concept of the Escovopsis, resulting in close to a 50% loss in fungal biomass. Secondary symbiotic relationships [ ] There are additional symbiotic relationships that affect fungal agriculture. The fungus Pseudonocardia which they use to control Escovopsis. Escopovosis due to this long-standing secondary symbiont is un...

\( \newcommand\) • • • • • • Fungi as Parasites In a parasitic relationship, the parasite benefits while the host is harmed. Parasitic fungi live in or on other organisms and get their nutrients from them. Fungi have special structures for penetrating a host. They also produce enzymes that break down the host’s tissues. Parasitic fungi often cause illness and may eventually kill their host. They are the major cause of disease in agricultural plants. Fungi also parasitize animals, such as the insect pictured in Figure Parasitic Fungus and Insect Host. The white parasitic fungus named Cordyceps is shown here growing on its host—a dark brown moth. Mutualism in Fungi Fungi have several mutualistic relationships with other organisms. In mutualism, both organisms benefit from the relationship. Two common mutualistic relationships involving fungi are mycorrhiza and lichen. • A mycorrhiza is a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a plant. The fungus grows in or on the plant roots. The fungus benefits from the easy access to food made by the plant. The plant benefits because the fungus puts out mycelia that help absorb • A lichen is an organism that results from a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism. The other organism is usually a cyanobacterium or green alga. The fungus grows around the bacterial or algal cells. The fungus benefits from the constant supply of food produced by the photosynthesizer. The photosynthesizer benefits from the...

June 7, 2023 — Social ants are masters of cooperative disease defense. They collectively take care of each other to prevent the spread of infections within a colony. But how does an individual ant know whom it should groom? A multidisciplinary team of researchers combined experimental and theoretical approaches ...

A few weeks ago, I arrived hungry to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, ready for a unique culinary experience. Finalists of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency’s “The challenge in space is: you can’t take a cow or a chicken with you,” said Karuna Rawal, chief marketing officer at Chances are, for most people, the term “space food” brings to mind chalky, crumbly “astronaut ice cream,” which is actually mostly a myth. Crumbly foods are a big no-no in astronautics because bits adrift in microgravity can wreak untold havoc on delicate spacecraft components. Visitors to the International Space Station typically eat sturdier, nonperishable stuff from vacuum-sealed packages. Back in the day, Apollo-era astronauts dined on freeze-dried, cube-shaped delicacies such as shrimp cocktail and date fruitcake. Some of these were, apparently, appetizing. “Happiness is bacon squares for breakfast,” proclaimed Apollo 8 crew member Jim Lovell while midway to the moon in 1968. But venturing to Mars or beyond probably demands a completely different approach. Without a steady (and extremely costly) stream of supply shipments, in-space habitats and otherworldly outposts of the future will need to serve as highly engineered, self-contained ecosystems that grow satisfying and healthy food. That’s what the Deep Space Food Challenge, launched in 2021, is all about. This year 11 U.S. teams and six international teams with bold ideas for miniaturizing the circle of life moved from a conceptual Ph...

Fungus-growing ants actively propagate, nurture, and defend Lepiotaceae and other lineages of Escovopsis, and an actinomycetes bacterial symbiont, Pseudonocardia. Types [ ] There are five main types of agriculture that fungus-growing ants practice: C. rimosus group is hypothesized to have evolved growing fungus in a yeast form between 5 and 25 million years ago. The attines [ ] The ants of the Leucocoprineae found in the wild and use "ancestral substrates" composed of plant, wood, arthropod, and flower detritus. The higher attines, on the other hand, use freshly cut grass, leaves, and flowers as their fungi substrate (hence the common name "leafcutter ants") and cultivate highly derived fungi. The symbiosis between attine ants and Leucoagaricus fungi is not purely beneficial, but obligatory. The fungal cultivar provides the ants with food, but limits their diet to the monoculture gongylidia growth. Without the ants, the L. gongylophorus cultivar monoculture would be highly susceptible to infections. Escovopsis. Partner fidelity [ ] Partner fidelity can be witnessed through vertical gene transmission of fungi when a new colony is begun. Studies done (with the concept of the Escovopsis, resulting in close to a 50% loss in fungal biomass. Secondary symbiotic relationships [ ] There are additional symbiotic relationships that affect fungal agriculture. The fungus Pseudonocardia which they use to control Escovopsis. Escopovosis due to this long-standing secondary symbiont is un...

A few weeks ago, I arrived hungry to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, ready for a unique culinary experience. Finalists of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency’s “The challenge in space is: you can’t take a cow or a chicken with you,” said Karuna Rawal, chief marketing officer at Chances are, for most people, the term “space food” brings to mind chalky, crumbly “astronaut ice cream,” which is actually mostly a myth. Crumbly foods are a big no-no in astronautics because bits adrift in microgravity can wreak untold havoc on delicate spacecraft components. Visitors to the International Space Station typically eat sturdier, nonperishable stuff from vacuum-sealed packages. Back in the day, Apollo-era astronauts dined on freeze-dried, cube-shaped delicacies such as shrimp cocktail and date fruitcake. Some of these were, apparently, appetizing. “Happiness is bacon squares for breakfast,” proclaimed Apollo 8 crew member Jim Lovell while midway to the moon in 1968. But venturing to Mars or beyond probably demands a completely different approach. Without a steady (and extremely costly) stream of supply shipments, in-space habitats and otherworldly outposts of the future will need to serve as highly engineered, self-contained ecosystems that grow satisfying and healthy food. That’s what the Deep Space Food Challenge, launched in 2021, is all about. This year 11 U.S. teams and six international teams with bold ideas for miniaturizing the circle of life moved from a conceptual Ph...

\( \newcommand\) • • • • • • Fungi as Parasites In a parasitic relationship, the parasite benefits while the host is harmed. Parasitic fungi live in or on other organisms and get their nutrients from them. Fungi have special structures for penetrating a host. They also produce enzymes that break down the host’s tissues. Parasitic fungi often cause illness and may eventually kill their host. They are the major cause of disease in agricultural plants. Fungi also parasitize animals, such as the insect pictured in Figure Parasitic Fungus and Insect Host. The white parasitic fungus named Cordyceps is shown here growing on its host—a dark brown moth. Mutualism in Fungi Fungi have several mutualistic relationships with other organisms. In mutualism, both organisms benefit from the relationship. Two common mutualistic relationships involving fungi are mycorrhiza and lichen. • A mycorrhiza is a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a plant. The fungus grows in or on the plant roots. The fungus benefits from the easy access to food made by the plant. The plant benefits because the fungus puts out mycelia that help absorb • A lichen is an organism that results from a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism. The other organism is usually a cyanobacterium or green alga. The fungus grows around the bacterial or algal cells. The fungus benefits from the constant supply of food produced by the photosynthesizer. The photosynthesizer benefits from the...

June 7, 2023 — Social ants are masters of cooperative disease defense. They collectively take care of each other to prevent the spread of infections within a colony. But how does an individual ant know whom it should groom? A multidisciplinary team of researchers combined experimental and theoretical approaches ...