Changing leafcutter ants' food reshapes their microbial gardens, scientists find

A colony of leafcutter ants is home to more than just one species. Each year, studies reveal new layers of complexity in these ecosystems, where various fungi and bacteria thrive alongside the ants, resulting in countless interactions and the production of unknown compounds. In their latest study, researchers affiliated with São Paulo State University (UNESP) and the University of São Paulo (USP), demonstrate how bacteria in the colonies respond to different diets provided by ants to the fungi they cultivate.