The origins of farming insects
Published Date: 6/23/2021
Source: phys.org
A beetle bores a tree trunk to build a gallery in the wood in order to protect its lay. As it digs the tunnel, it spreads ambrosia fungal spores that will feed the larvae. When these bore another tree, the adult beetles will be the transmission vectors of the fungal spores in another habitat. This mutualism among insects and ambrosia fungi could be more than 100 million years old—more than what was thought to date—according to an article published in the journal Biological Reviews.