DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5b0s8
title: Data from: Patterns of specificity of the pathogen Escovopsis across the fungus-growing ant symbiosis

description: Parasites evolve within complex abiotic and biotic environments. Because
 of this, it is often challenging to ascertain how evolutionary and
 ecological processes together affect parasite specialization. Here, we use
 the fungus-growing ant system, which consists of ancient, likely
 coevolved, complex communities, to explore the ecological and evolutionary
 forces shaping host-parasite specificity. We use a comparative
 phylogenetic framework to determine whether patterns of specificity
 between the fungal parasite Escovopsis and its host fungi at fine
 phylogenetic scales reflect patterns of specificity at broader
 phylogenetic levels. In other words, we ask whether parasite specificity
 across broad host phylogenetic relationships is maintained by specificity
 toward more closely related hosts. We couple this exploration with
 manipulations of the community context within which host-parasite
 interactions are taking place to evaluate how community complexity alters
 parasite specificity. Regardless of host community complexity, parasites
 displayed a consistent pattern of specialization on native hosts, that is,
 those that they are found attacking in nature, with the potential for
 occasional switching to hosts distantly related to their native hosts.
 These results suggest that, even within a complex community context,
 pairwise host and parasite adaptation and coadaptation can be the primary
 drivers of the evolution and maintenance of parasite specificity.
description: Broad-scale garden
 infection 1Cross-infections of
 phylogenetically distant Aptero and Acro/Atta sub-gardens with their
 associated Escovopsis.Shruthigardens_R.csvBroad-scale garden infection 2Cypho sub-gardens with either Aptero Escovopsis, Acro Escovopsis, or Cypho EscovopsisGLM_garden_final.csvBroad-scale garden infection 3Aptero and Trachy sub-gardens infected with their associated Escovopsis in the presence and absence of antsAyeshahInfection_R.csvBroad-scale bioassays 1In vitro bioassays between Escovopsis and the fungal cultivars isolated from gardens of ant species from different genera across the diversity of the fungus-growing ant symbiosis (Ac. octospinosus (Acro), T. zeteki (Trachy), C. longiscapus (Cypho1), C. muelleri (Cypho2), Ap. dentigerum (Aptero1), and Ap. pilosum (Aptero2)broadbioassay_R.csvBroad-scale bioassays 2Bioassays with Aptero and Acro Escovopsis and their cultivarsAcroAptero_R.csvCyphomyrmex garden infectionsC. longiscapus and C. muelleri sub-gardens infected with either C. longiscapus or C. muelleri Escovopsis strainsGLM_garden.RCyphomyrmex monoculture infectionsCyphomyrmex garden monocultures infected with Escovopsis strainsGLM_monoculture.csvCyphomyrmex bioassaysBioassays infecting C. longiscapus, C. muelleri, and C. costatus cultivars with C. muelleri and C.longiscapus EscovopsisGLM_bioassays.RCyphomyrmex Escovopsis genetic distancescypho_GTR_dist.csvCyphomyrmex Escovopsis attraction distancescypho_attract_dist.csvCyphomyrmex Escovopsis inhibition distancesinhib_16July13.csvCyphomyrmex cultivar genetic distancescultivar_PAUP_distances.csvCyphomyrmex cultivar attraction distancescultivar_attraction_distances.csvCyphomyrmex cultivar inhibition distancescultivar_inhibition_distances.csv