Matters Microbial #32: What's bugging ants, microbially speaking?

Today, Dr. Manu Ramalho of West Chester University in Pennsylvania joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the wonderful world of ants, their microbiomes, and what their intersection can teach us about our place in the natural world.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Manu Ramalho

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• I wear some microbial themed ties made by Michele Banks of Artologica.  Both Michele and Vexed Muddler understand #MicrobialArt.
• One of the #LuxArt sessions that I conducted at an ASMCUE session a few years ago.  Dr. Quinn and I would love to do more sessions!
• Pi Day is an important mathematical holiday.
•  Dr. Jennifer Quinn at the University of Washington – Tacoma, proud member of the Mathematics Association of America, and on Wikipedia!
• Albert Einstein’s birthday.
• The quite amusing 1950s movie about “giant ants,” titled “Them!”
• A review of Paul Buchner’s encyclopedic work on endosymbiosis.  Some day, I will own a copy of this book!
• A wonderful book describing microbial symbionts of insects, titled “Influential Passengers.”
• A review of insects and endosymbionts.
• Nutritional endosymbiosis in insects.
• A review of Wolbachia. 
• When Wolbachia creates plant hormones to provide food for its insect hosts. 
• The website for “Discover the Microbes Within” which is a CURE based student sourced investigation of Wolbachia in arthropods.  It was designed by Seth Bordenstein and Sarah Bordenstein.
• An introduction to leaf cutter ants.  Video.  
• An overview of the leaf cutter ant microbiome.
• A very relevant article coauthored by Dr. Ramalho describing the relationship between turtle ants and their microbiome.
• An interesting video interview with Dr. Ramalho.
• Dr. Ramalho’s faculty website.
• Dr. Ramalho’s laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

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