Impact of rising temperatures on the bacterial communities of Aphaenogaster ants.

Studies have shown that biodiversity will be impacted by global climate change, with the effect on ants just beginning to be documented. The influence on ant symbiotic bacterial communities remains understudied. Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853, are seed-dispersing ants in deciduous forests and their bacterial communities have just been uncovered; however, much is unknown. We aim to determine the impact that warming temperatures will have on Aphaenogaster survival and on their bacterial communities. Ants from four colonies were collected from West Chester, PA, USA and entire colonies were subjected to a control temperature (22°C). After 6-12 months, the same colonies were subjected to an experimental temperature (32°C). DNA was then extracted from ants of all development stages and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced following the NGS amplicon approach. The findings revealed that Aphaenogaster ant mortality rates increased, and their symbiotic bacterial communities changed in warmer temperatures. This resulted in a decrease in the presence of Wolbachia spp. and an increase in the presence of Corynebacterium sp. This study reveals important information about the impact of warming temperature on Aphaenogaster ants, and we suggest methods to help protect these ants and other insects in the future.