Ants have been shown to engage in symbiosis across the tree of life, although our knowledge is far from complete. These interactions range from mutualistic to parasitic with several instances of manipulation of host behavior. Nutrient contributions in these symbioses include both farming for food and nitrogen recycling by gut-associated microbes. Interestingly, the ants that are mostly likely to host diverse and likely functional gut microbial communities are those that feed on extreme diets. Although we do see many instances of symbiosis between ants and microbes, there are also examples of species without a functional gut microbiome.

Symbiosis among microbes and eukaryotic hosts is common and often considered a hallmark of multicellular evolution [1]. This is true among many of the over 13 000 species of ants, although symbiosis between ants and microbes are not ubiquitous. These microbial-ant symbiotic interactions span the tree of life and include microbial eukaryotes, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. These interactions range from pathogenic to mutualistic, with many relationships still not well understood. Although our knowledge of the diversity of these microbes in ants is growing rapidly, and in some cases we know the function and interaction with the host, we still have much to learn about — the little things that run the little things that run the world!

尽管我们的知识还远远不够完善，但已证明蚂蚁会在整个生命树中共生。这些交互的范围从互惠性到寄生性，并有几种操纵主机行为的实例。这些共生酶的营养贡献包括为食物而耕种和肠道相关微生物回收氮素。有趣的是，最有可能拥有多样化和功能性肠道微生物群落的蚂蚁是那些以极端饮食为食的蚂蚁。尽管我们确实看到了蚂蚁与微生物之间共生的许多实例，但也有没有功能性肠道微生物组的物种的实例。

微生物和真核宿主之间的共生是普遍现象，通常被认为是多细胞进化的标志[1]。尽管蚂蚁与微生物之间的共生并非普遍存在，但在超过13000种蚂蚁中，这是正确的。这些微生物与蚂蚁的共生相互作用跨越了生命之树，包括微生物真核生物，真菌，病毒和细菌。这些相互作用的范围从致病性到共生的，许多关系还没有被很好地理解。尽管我们对蚂蚁中这些微生物的多样性的了解迅速增长，并且在某些情况下我们了解宿主的功能和与宿主的相互作用，但我们仍然有很多东西要学习，那就是运行于世界的小事！