Potential for nitrogen fixation in fungus-growing termite symbiosis

Panagiotis Sapountzis; Jane de Verges; Kathrin Rousk; Magdeleen Cilliers; Barend J. Vorster; Michael Thomas-Poulsen

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993

Potential for nitrogen fixation in fungus-growing termite symbiosis

Panagiotis Sapountzis, Jane de Verges, Kathrin Rousk, Magdeleen Cilliers, Barend J. Vorster, Michael Thomas-Poulsen

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Abstract

Termites host a gut microbiota of diverse and essential symbionts that enable specialization on dead plant material; an abundant, but nutritionally imbalanced food source. To supplement the severe shortage of dietary nitrogen (N), some termite species make use of diazotrophic bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2). Fungus-growing termites (subfamily Macrotermitinae) host a fungal exosymbiont (genus Termitomyces) that provides digestive services and the main food source for the termites. This has been thought to obviate the need for N2-fixation by bacterial symbionts. Here, we challenge this notion by performing acetylene reduction assays of live colony material to show that N2 fixation is present in two major genera (Macrotermes and Odontotermes) of fungus-growing termites. We compare and discuss fixation rates in relation to those obtained from other termites, and suggest avenues of research that may lead to a better understanding of N2 fixation in fungus-growing and other termites.

Original language	English
Article number	1993
Journal	Frontiers in Microbiology
Volume	7
Number of pages	5
ISSN	1664-302X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993
Publication status	Published - 2016

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title = "Potential for nitrogen fixation in fungus-growing termite symbiosis",

abstract = "Termites host a gut microbiota of diverse and essential symbionts that enable specialization on dead plant material; an abundant, but nutritionally imbalanced food source. To supplement the severe shortage of dietary nitrogen (N), some termite species make use of diazotrophic bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2). Fungus-growing termites (subfamily Macrotermitinae) host a fungal exosymbiont (genus Termitomyces) that provides digestive services and the main food source for the termites. This has been thought to obviate the need for N2-fixation by bacterial symbionts. Here, we challenge this notion by performing acetylene reduction assays of live colony material to show that N2 fixation is present in two major genera (Macrotermes and Odontotermes) of fungus-growing termites. We compare and discuss fixation rates in relation to those obtained from other termites, and suggest avenues of research that may lead to a better understanding of N2 fixation in fungus-growing and other termites.",

author = "Panagiotis Sapountzis and {de Verges}, Jane and Kathrin Rousk and Magdeleen Cilliers and {J. Vorster}, Barend and Michael Thomas-Poulsen",

year = "2016",

doi = "10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

journal = "Frontiers in Microbiology",

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T1 - Potential for nitrogen fixation in fungus-growing termite symbiosis

AU - Sapountzis, Panagiotis

AU - de Verges, Jane

AU - Rousk, Kathrin

AU - Cilliers, Magdeleen

AU - J. Vorster, Barend

AU - Thomas-Poulsen, Michael

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Termites host a gut microbiota of diverse and essential symbionts that enable specialization on dead plant material; an abundant, but nutritionally imbalanced food source. To supplement the severe shortage of dietary nitrogen (N), some termite species make use of diazotrophic bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2). Fungus-growing termites (subfamily Macrotermitinae) host a fungal exosymbiont (genus Termitomyces) that provides digestive services and the main food source for the termites. This has been thought to obviate the need for N2-fixation by bacterial symbionts. Here, we challenge this notion by performing acetylene reduction assays of live colony material to show that N2 fixation is present in two major genera (Macrotermes and Odontotermes) of fungus-growing termites. We compare and discuss fixation rates in relation to those obtained from other termites, and suggest avenues of research that may lead to a better understanding of N2 fixation in fungus-growing and other termites.

AB - Termites host a gut microbiota of diverse and essential symbionts that enable specialization on dead plant material; an abundant, but nutritionally imbalanced food source. To supplement the severe shortage of dietary nitrogen (N), some termite species make use of diazotrophic bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2). Fungus-growing termites (subfamily Macrotermitinae) host a fungal exosymbiont (genus Termitomyces) that provides digestive services and the main food source for the termites. This has been thought to obviate the need for N2-fixation by bacterial symbionts. Here, we challenge this notion by performing acetylene reduction assays of live colony material to show that N2 fixation is present in two major genera (Macrotermes and Odontotermes) of fungus-growing termites. We compare and discuss fixation rates in relation to those obtained from other termites, and suggest avenues of research that may lead to a better understanding of N2 fixation in fungus-growing and other termites.

U2 - 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993

DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28018322

SN - 1664-302X

VL - 7

JO - Frontiers in Microbiology

JF - Frontiers in Microbiology

M1 - 1993

ER -

Potential for nitrogen fixation in fungus-growing termite symbiosis

Abstract

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