The Vulnerability of Pollen and Fungal Spores to Ant Secretions: Evidence and Some Evolutionary Implications

Beattie, Andrew J.; Turnbull, Christine; Hough, T.; Jobson, S.; Knox, R. B.

doi:10.2307/2443594

Cited by 65 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…We found significantly more particles on uncolonised peristomes, and many of these particles were embedded in a network of fungal hyphae. We cannot exclude that in addition to mechanically cleaning the peristome, the ants produce anti-fungal secretions similar to those identified from other ant species (Beattie et al 1985;Letourneau 1998), controlling fungal growth on the peristome. Further work should establish whether such antifungal secretions play a role in C. schmitzi.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long‐term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata

et al. 2011

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Summary 1.Beneficial 'services' in mutualistic interactions have often not evolved de novo, but from ancestral traits that had a function before the emergence of the association. These traits can then acquire novel functions in a mutualism. Even in many close insect-plant relationships, the services provided by each partner are still unclear. 2. In the well-known association between the carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes bicalcarata, and Camponotus schmitzi ants in Borneo, the ants benefit by receiving food and nesting space in swollen, hollow pitcher tendrils, but the benefits to the plant are less clear. Previous studies have suggested that the ants protect against herbivory, prevent putrefaction of pitchers by removing prey items from them or increase the pitcher's prey retention rate by attacking pitcher visitors. 3. Field observations showed that C. schmitzi ants regularly clean the pitcher rim (peristome), which is the main surface responsible for prey capture. We found that this behaviour increases the carnivorous plant's prey capture efficiency and helps to maintain it over the pitcher's life span. Running tests with Oecophylla smaragdina ants on colonised and ant-free older pitchers demonstrated 45AE8% higher capture efficiency in pitchers inhabited by C. schmitzi. Head counts of trapped ants showed that C. schmitzi-colonised pitchers indeed captured significantly (45AE2%) more prey than uncolonised pitchers of the same age. 4. The peristomes of ant-free older pitchers were strongly contaminated by fungal hyphae and other particles. Experimental contamination of clean pitcher peristomes with starch also strongly reduced capture efficiency. While the peristome was cleaned rapidly in ant-colonised pitchers and capture efficiency returned to the previous level within approximately 1 week, no cleaning and recovery were observed in ant-free pitchers. 5. Within the genus Nepenthes, N. bicalcarata has exceptionally long-lived pitchers. We propose that C. schmitzi ants benefit N. bicalcarata by keeping the pitchers effective over long periods of time, likely allowing the plant to acquire more nutrients per pitcher and thereby minimise pitcher construction costs. 6. Our findings demonstrate that the cleaning behaviour typical of many plant-ants has acquired a novel function in this ant-plant association, giving rise to a new type of myrmecotrophic mutualism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long‐term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata

et al. 2011

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“…Future studies should test this hypothesis, although literature suggests this unlikely, because ants often damage pollen activities by their external glands secretions (e.g. Hölldobler & Wilson 1978;Beattie et al 1985;Bernardello et al 2001;Galen & Butchart 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asian weaver ants,Oecophylla smaragdina,and their repelling of pollinators

Tsuji

Hasyim²,

Harlion³

et al. 2004

Ecological Research

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The Asian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, is known to have outstanding predatory power. This ant can protect the host plants from attacks of phytophagous insects and therefore has been used for biological control in the tropics. We present evidence for a possible negative effect of Oecophylla on the performance of host plants. Our observation in a fruit orchard of rambutan in Sumatra suggested that the presence of Oecohylla nests on the trees statistically significantly lowered the flower-visiting rate of flying insects, involving the major pollinator Trigona minangkabau. The visiting rate of Oecophylla workers to each flower shoot of rambutan significantly negatively correlated with the visiting rate of flying insects. Empirical evidence of such an inhibitory effect on flower-visiting of pollinators cased by aggressive ants has been scarce so far.

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“…Although ants are often considered ineffective pollinators (e.g. Beattie et al 1985;Peakall & Beattie 1991), the reduction in T. glauca reproductive success clearly shows that they are important pollinators of this plant. There are other examples of pollination by ants especially in plant species with a low, dense flowering stature (Gomez & Zamora 1992;Gomez et al 1996).…”

Section: T H E F I E L D E X P E R I M E N Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollinator networks, alien species and the conservation of rare plants:Trinia glaucaas a case study

Carvalheiro

Barbosa

Memmott

2008

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary 1.Despite the essential role of pollination in the maintenance of many rare plant species, conservation management plans rarely consider the service of pollination. 2. This study identifies the main pollinators of a rare English plant species, Trinia glauca (Apiaceae), and provides recommendations for its conservation. A community-level approach is used, whereby a visitation network is constructed to identify the direct and indirect links between T. glauca and other members of the plant-visitor community. 3. A field experiment that excluded the main visitor species from female T. glauca showed that ants were the main pollinators of T. glauca . The network revealed that over the field season, 33% of the ants' visits to flowers were to alien plants, with Cotoneaster horizontalis making a particularly high contribution (58%) during the T. glauca flowering period. 4. The removal of alien plants is a part of the conservation management of T. glauca , and we simulated the likely consequences of this form of habitat management on T. glauca pollination, any effects being mediated by shared pollinators. Although positive or neutral effects are possible, a negative effect is also possible, whereby the removal of alien plants leads to a crash in ant populations, potentially reducing pollinator visits to T. glauca by up to 85·2%. 5. Synthesis and applications . Conserving the pollinators of rare plants is essential if their conservation is to be sustainable in the long term. Our data indicate that T. glauca is pollinated by ants and demonstrate that ants can also feed on alien plants, particularly during the flowering season of this rare plant. We suggest that management measures involving the removal of alien plants should consider the possible negative impacts on rare plants through changes in pollinator populations. In this case, a staged removal is likely to prove the best conservation approach, allowing the pollinators' response to be assessed before any serious negative effects occur.

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The Vulnerability of Pollen and Fungal Spores to Ant Secretions: Evidence and Some Evolutionary Implications

Cited by 65 publications

References 0 publications

Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long‐term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata

Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long‐term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata

Asian weaver ants,Oecophylla smaragdina,and their repelling of pollinators

Pollinator networks, alien species and the conservation of rare plants:Trinia glaucaas a case study

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