Wood ants carry natural fungicides that could protect crops
Jensen IC, Nazipi Bushi S, Mogensen AL, Braad Lund M, Offenberg J
Soil Health
The ant trails crisscrossing your garden mulch or a nearby forest floor may be depositing bacteria that fight the same fungal diseases that rot stone fruit and ruin grain harvests.
Scientists studying wood ants in Denmark found that these ants carry bacteria on their legs and bodies that can kill or slow down fungi known to damage fruit, grapes, and grains. When the ants walked across lab dishes, they left behind microbes strong enough to stop three separate crop-damaging fungi within seconds. The ants seem to pick up and keep this specific bacterial community on purpose rather than absorbing whatever germs happen to be nearby in their nests.
Key Findings
Ants deposited antimicrobial microbes onto agar plates within 10 seconds of walking, with dense microbial growth after 24 hours of exposure.
Seven bacterial and seven fungal antimicrobial strains were isolated; six bacterial isolates matched 16S rRNA sequences found across ant microbiomes at all five Danish sites.
Ant bacterial microbiomes were dominated by the endosymbiont Wolbachia and differed significantly between legs, bodies, and nests, indicating selective rather than random microbe acquisition.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Danish wood ants pick up antimicrobial bacteria on their legs and bodies that can suppress fungi responsible for major crop diseases like brown rot and Fusarium head blight, hinting at a natural biocontrol tool for farmers and gardeners.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Bacterial microbiomes and antifungal effect of Danish wood ant (Formica polyctena) populations.
Ants, including wood ants (Formica polyctena), can control arthropod pests, and recent research has highlighted their potential against plant pathogens. The latter effect is likely aided by antimic...
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