Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture.
Based on molecular dating, the origin of insect agriculture is hypothesized to have taken place independently in three clades of fungus-farming insects: the termites, ants or ambrosia beetles during the Paleogene (66-24 Ma). Yet, definitive fossil evidence of fungus-growing behavior has been elusive...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4917219?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1819108233849077760 |
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| author | Eric M Roberts Christopher N Todd Duur K Aanen Tânia Nobre Hannah L Hilbert-Wolf Patrick M O'Connor Leif Tapanila Cassy Mtelela Nancy J Stevens |
| author_facet | Eric M Roberts Christopher N Todd Duur K Aanen Tânia Nobre Hannah L Hilbert-Wolf Patrick M O'Connor Leif Tapanila Cassy Mtelela Nancy J Stevens |
| author_sort | Eric M Roberts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Based on molecular dating, the origin of insect agriculture is hypothesized to have taken place independently in three clades of fungus-farming insects: the termites, ants or ambrosia beetles during the Paleogene (66-24 Ma). Yet, definitive fossil evidence of fungus-growing behavior has been elusive, with no unequivocal records prior to the late Miocene (7-10 Ma). Here we report fossil evidence of insect agriculture in the form of fossil fungus gardens, preserved within 25 Ma termite nests from southwestern Tanzania. Using these well-dated fossil fungus gardens, we have recalibrated molecular divergence estimates for the origins of termite agriculture to around 31 Ma, lending support to hypotheses suggesting an African Paleogene origin for termite-fungus symbiosis; perhaps coinciding with rift initiation and changes in the African landscape. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T03:06:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97432c1f871847e2a98c9a6c1a7a6b2c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T03:06:41Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-97432c1f871847e2a98c9a6c1a7a6b2c2022-12-21T18:41:03ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01116e015684710.1371/journal.pone.0156847Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture.Eric M RobertsChristopher N ToddDuur K AanenTânia NobreHannah L Hilbert-WolfPatrick M O'ConnorLeif TapanilaCassy MtelelaNancy J StevensBased on molecular dating, the origin of insect agriculture is hypothesized to have taken place independently in three clades of fungus-farming insects: the termites, ants or ambrosia beetles during the Paleogene (66-24 Ma). Yet, definitive fossil evidence of fungus-growing behavior has been elusive, with no unequivocal records prior to the late Miocene (7-10 Ma). Here we report fossil evidence of insect agriculture in the form of fossil fungus gardens, preserved within 25 Ma termite nests from southwestern Tanzania. Using these well-dated fossil fungus gardens, we have recalibrated molecular divergence estimates for the origins of termite agriculture to around 31 Ma, lending support to hypotheses suggesting an African Paleogene origin for termite-fungus symbiosis; perhaps coinciding with rift initiation and changes in the African landscape.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4917219?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Eric M Roberts Christopher N Todd Duur K Aanen Tânia Nobre Hannah L Hilbert-Wolf Patrick M O'Connor Leif Tapanila Cassy Mtelela Nancy J Stevens Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture. PLoS ONE |
| title | Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture. |
| title_full | Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture. |
| title_fullStr | Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture. |
| title_short | Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture. |
| title_sort | oligocene termite nests with in situ fungus gardens from the rukwa rift basin tanzania support a paleogene african origin for insect agriculture |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4917219?pdf=render |
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