About this Research Topic

Background

As one of its ‘Reviews in’ series of article collections, Frontiers in Fungal Biology is organizing a collection of articles on interactions between fungi and ants. Reviews in Fungi-Ant Interactions will publish high-quality scholarly review papers on key topics covering the diversity of interactions between fungi and this ecologically and economically important group of social insects. Some fungi are involved in mutually beneficial interactions with ants, contributing to their nutrition or to the structural stability of their nests and galleries. Other fungi are pathogens of ants, in some cases manipulating the behavior of infected ants in ways that enhance their own transmission. In yet other cases, ants defend against fungal infection by individual and collective/social behaviors. Ants and fungi are often involved in complex webs of interactions, as in those between ants, their fungal mutualists, and fungal parasites of these mutualists, or in tripartite mutualisms between ants, plants, and fungi. From an applied perspective, ant-fungi interactions may play diverse roles in agroecosystems: ants may be used to control fungal pathogens of crop plants and fungi can be used to control pest ants. Ants and fungi also interact indirectly, as ants influence soil fungi, including those that form mycorrhizae and those fungi involved in the decomposition of organic matter, altering soil nutrient cycles near their nests and creating patches of fertility. Finally, we are interested to know if fungi can be mediators of ant invasions. The series aims to highlight recent advances on all these topics, whilst emphasizing important directions and new possibilities for future inquiries. We welcome review articles on all aspects of these diverse interactions, which may include new unpublished data to complete them.

List of sub-topics :

-Ants and their fungal enemies (pathogens that manipulate ant behavior; fungal ectosymbionts; biological control of pest ants by fungi; suppression of fungal pathogens by ants; immunological and behavioral responses of ants to fungal infections)

-Ants and their fungal mutualists (carton nests and fungi; ant gardens; fungi in myrmecophytes)

- Ants, their fungal mutualists and fungal enemies of the mutualism (interactions between leafcutter ants and fungi)

-Less-known ant-fungus interactions (endophytes; mycorrhizae; how fungi mediate ant invasions; ecosystem services: organic matter decomposition by fungi living in ant-nest soil)

Photo Credit: © Rumsaïs BLATRIX/CEFE/CNRS Photothèque

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Ant-fungus mutualisms, entomopathogenic fungi, host manipulation by fungal parasites, host responses to parasitic manipulation, biological control of plant-pathogenic fungi by ants, biological control of pest ants by fungi, fungal parasites of ant-fungus mutualisms, ant-endophytic fungi interactions, ant-mycorrhizal fungi interactions, Mutualisms, myrmecophytes, symbiosis, parasitism, biological control, indirect interactions, #CollectionSeries

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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