The calendar spring has begun. This is a great opportunity to observe the world of plants and animals coming to life. The first warm days cause the activation of a number of insect species. One of the earliest to be observed are ants. They use the southern walls of their mounds or, in the case of species associated with trees, the heated bark as solar cells to provide heat to the interior of the anthill. And there, apart from the hosts themselves, there are representatives of many other groups of insects, as well as fungi and bacteria. The whole creates a fascinating system that is an excellent research testing ground.
For years, employees of the Institute of Biological Sciences of UMCS have been carrying out scientific projects concerning, among others, biodiversity. Dr. Grzegorz K. Wagner (assistant professor at the Department of Zoology and Nature Protection of UMCS) conducts research in the broadly understood field of entomology (insect science) with particular emphasis on saproxylic insects – associated (at least at a certain stage of development) with dead or dying wood.
Currently, together with a team from the Department of Zoology and Nature Conservation, he is studying the distribution, biology and ecology of selected ecological groups of beetles and ants (both forest and those occurring in other types of ecosystems). The team is also conducting research related to an interesting species of ant – the common cardboard ant (Lasius fuliginosus), an ant that builds nests in the holes of old deciduous trees. The cardboard ant cultivates symbiotic fungi in its nest, which produce various bioactive substances. The team's research concerns, among others, the identification of these fungi, cultivation methods and analyses related to the activity of their metabolites. The results are proving to be extremely promising, because extracts from the nest overgrown with fungi show strong antioxidant, antifungal and even anticancer properties in in vitro studies. To date, several publications have been published and three patents have been obtained regarding the extracts tested.
"The nest of a cardboard ant is a mine of microorganisms that produce a lot of bioactive compounds. Ants use them as natural antibiotics, using them to cleanse the anthill of unwanted pathogens. Our research shows that many of these microorganisms may have biotechnological potential and may also be useful to humans," says Dr. Wagner.
In addition, Dr. Wagner conducts research on the phylogeny and distribution of the ant-miner, the smallest cricket in Poland, which occurs in ant nests, including the common cardboard ant. Morphological and genetic analyses of specimens from various regions of Poland and Ukraine have led to the discovery of a new species for science. Work is currently underway to describe it.
In the photo from the left: dr Grzegorz K. Wagner; dr hab. Ewa Pietrykowska-Tudruj, prof. UMCS; prof. dr hab. Bernard Staniec. Photo by Michał Piłat
Source: UMCS Press Center
