Loss and gains in ant–plant interactions mediated by extrafloral nectar: fidelity, cheats, and lies

Del‐Claro, Kleber; Rico-Gray, Víctor; Torezan‐Silingardi, Helena Maura; Alves-Silva, Estevão; Fagundes, Roberth; Lange, Denise; Dáttilo, Wesley; Vilela, Andréa Andrade; Aguirre, Armando; Rodríguez-Morales, Dulce

doi:10.1007/s00040-016-0466-2

Cited by 153 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 143 publications

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“…Different groups of flower visitors are attracted by various floral characteristics: plants that offer more nectar receive proportionally more visits from bees , and preferences for different flower colours also influence the dominant groups seen (Campbell et al, 2010). Foraging behaviour, also known to be important (Brunet et al, 2015;Del-Claro et al, 2016), may explain why ants, the only non-flying group amongst those considered, visited a greater proportion of flowering plants (but in a less consistent or predictable, directed, manner Fig. 4).…”

Section: Indirect Effects Mediated By Different Taxonomic Groups Of Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indirect interactions between crops and natural vegetation through flower visitors: the importance of temporal as well as spatial spillover

Simba

Foord

Thébault

et al. 2018

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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Section: Indirect Effects Mediated By Different Taxonomic Groups Of Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indirect interactions between crops and natural vegetation through flower visitors: the importance of temporal as well as spatial spillover

Simba

Foord

Thébault

et al. 2018

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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“…Mutualistic interactions between plant and animals occur when plants provide resources to animal partners, and animals, in turn, provide services (e.g., transport, protection) (Del-Claro et al, 2016). A widespread mutualistic interaction in nature is the association of myrmecophyte plants and ants (Fonseca & Ganade, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Induced biotic response in Amazonian ant-plants: the role of leaf damage intensity and plant-derived food rewards on ant recruitment

Gonçalves‐Souza

2016

Sociobiology

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Although plant-ants respond to cues indicating the presence of herbivores, it remains unclear how ant workers are stimulated by herbivory cues with varying intensity. I hypothesized that ants respond more quickly to severe foliar damage and that ants inhabiting myrmecophytes that provide food resource recruit workers to any intensity of foliar damage. I tested the induced response in three ant-plant systems: two that provide food resources and another one that does not provide. I simulated leaf damage using different concentrations of foliar extracts. In all systems, the plant-ant recruitment increased after damage simulations. In food providing systems, ants did not distinguish between different intensity damages, although one system has shown a mixed response to that intensity. This result indicates that ants defend more intensely their host plant to avoid injuries that diminish food provisioning. In the non-food providing system ants responded more quickly to the simulation of high foliar damage. This faster recruitment to leaves with high damage suggests that ants are searching for hot spots that potentially have more insects for feeding on. I suggested that future works could manipulate plant size and quality, and food provisioning to better understand why mutual ant-plant systems with very distinct characteristics are evolutionarily stabilized.

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“…Extrafl oral nectaries (EFNs) play an important ecological role in plant protection, since nectar acts as a carbohydrate-rich liquid reward for ants in exchange for protection against herbivores (Heil 2015;Del-Claro et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are stem nectaries common in Gentianaceae Juss.?

2017

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Extrafl oral nectaries (EFNs) are specialized structures that produce and release nectar and are located on leaves, cotyledons and, more seldomly, stems. Peculiar leaf nectaries have been described for thirty-three Neotropical species of Gentianaceae, while stem nectaries have been reported for only nine. Th e aim of this study was to verify the occurrence of stem EFNs within Gentianaceae and investigate the existence of a correlation between their occurrence and the geographical distribution of species. Samples of internodal regions from fi eld and herbarium specimens were submitted to standard light microscopy techniques. Data regarding the geographical distribution of species were acquired from herbarium specimens and the literature. A total of 37 species were investigated, representing 25 genera distributed among fi ve tribes. Nectaries, composed of modifi ed epidermal cells, were observed in 16 species restricted to the Neotropical tribes Helieae, Saccifolieae, Potalieae and Coutoubeinae; exceptions were Cicendia quadrangularis and Zygostigma australe, which both occur in the Neotropics but do not possess EFNs. Th ese results demonstrate that stem EFNs are common among Neotropical taxa of Gentianaceae, and are typically absent from taxa in temperate regions.

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Loss and gains in ant–plant interactions mediated by extrafloral nectar: fidelity, cheats, and lies

Cited by 153 publications

References 143 publications

Indirect interactions between crops and natural vegetation through flower visitors: the importance of temporal as well as spatial spillover

Indirect interactions between crops and natural vegetation through flower visitors: the importance of temporal as well as spatial spillover

Induced biotic response in Amazonian ant-plants: the role of leaf damage intensity and plant-derived food rewards on ant recruitment

Are stem nectaries common in Gentianaceae Juss.?

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