Different bacterial and viral pathogens trigger distinct immune responses in a globally invasive ant

Invasive species populations periodically collapse from high to low abundance, sometimes even to extinction. Pathogens and the burden they place on invader immune systems have been hypothesised as a mechanism for these collapses. We examined the association of the bacterial pathogen ( Pseudomonas spp.) and the viral community with immune gene expression in the globally invasive Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile (Mayr)). RNA-seq analysis found...