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Review
. 2004 Mar;2(3):E68.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020068. Epub 2004 Mar 16.

Endosymbiosis: lessons in conflict resolution

Jennifer J Wernegreen  1
Affiliations
Review

Endosymbiosis: lessons in conflict resolution

Jennifer J Wernegreen. PLoS Biol. 2004 Mar.

Abstract

Endosymbiotic bacteria live within a host species. There are many and diverse examples of such relationships, the study of which provides important lessons for ecology and evolution

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Hosts the Mutualistic Bacterial Endosymbiont Blochmannia
Like all species of the ant genus Camponotus, the wood-nesting C. pennsylvanicus (shown here) possesses an obligate bacterial endosymbiont called Blochmannia. The small genome of Blochmannia retains genes to biosynthesize essential amino acids and other nutrients (Gil et al. 2003), suggesting the bacterium plays a role in ant nutrition. Many Camponotus species are also infected with Wolbachia, an endosymbiont that is widespread across insect groups. (Photo courtesy of Adam B. Lazarus.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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