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Gálvez D. Ecology of fear: predator avoidance reduces seed dispersal in an ant. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230530. [PMID: 37476511 PMCID: PMC10354471 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
The ecology of fear refers to the non-fatal cost that predators and parasites impose on prey populations. These non-consumptive effects (NCEs) can influence animal-plant interactions, but evidence thereof comes mainly from vertebrate systems with less focus on invertebrates. Here, I investigated whether the foraging behaviour of the ant Ectatomma ruidum was influenced by its primary predator, the forest toad Rhinella alata. In field tests, the probability of seed removal by the ants was 25% for seeds placed with the forest toad compared to 32% for control seeds, suggesting that toads reduce ant foraging rates. A further experiment revealed that ants which had previously encountered the predator and its faeces were more likely (59%) than inexperienced ants (50%) to avoid the exit with the predator faeces. This outcome suggests that ants are capable of learning cues associated with predation risk, possibly leading to NCEs. This indicates that predators can exert NCEs on invertebrate prey with potential cascading effects on seed dispersal, extending results previously seen only in vertebrate seed dispersal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dumas Gálvez
- Coiba Scientific Station, City of Knowledge, Calle Gustavo Lara, Boulevard 145B, Clayton 0843-01853, Panama
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá PO Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
- Programa Centroamericano de Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá, Estafeta universitaria, Avenida Simón Bolívar, 0824 Panama City, Panama
- Sistema Nacional de Investigación, Panama City, Panama
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2
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Khalili-Moghadam A, Salata S, Borowiec L. Three new species of Cataglyphis Foerster, 1850 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Iran. Zookeys 2021; 1009:1-28. [PMID: 33505192 PMCID: PMC7801370 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1009.59205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cataglyphisbazoftensissp. nov., C.fritillariaesp. nov., and C.dejdaranensissp. nov. are described from the Koohrang county of central-west Iran (Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province). All new species belong to the C.altisquamis complex and are characterized by presence of the thick, black, and decumbent setae on lateral and posterior surfaces of tibiae. Additionally, a key to Asian Cataglyphis was updated to accommodate the new species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsalan Khalili-Moghadam
- Plant Protection Department, Agricultural College, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran Shahrekord University Shahrekord Iran
| | - Sebastian Salata
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 65, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland University of Wrocław Wrocław Poland.,California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA California Academy of Sciences San Francisco United States of America
| | - Lech Borowiec
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 65, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland University of Wrocław Wrocław Poland
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3
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Sethi ML, Theobald EJ, Breckheimer I, Hille Ris Lambers J. Early snowmelt and warmer, drier summers shrink postflowering transition times in subalpine wildflowers. Ecology 2020; 101:e03171. [PMID: 32852790 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Plant reproductive phenology-the timing of reproduction-is shifting rapidly with global climate change. Many studies focus on flowering responses to climate, but few investigate how postflowering processes, such as how quickly plants develop from flowering to seed dispersal, respond to environmental factors. We examined the climatic drivers of postflowering phenology in 28 species of western North American subalpine meadow plants over large spatial and temporal climate gradients. We took a Bayesian hierarchical approach to address whether and how climate influences the time it takes for wildflower populations to transition from flower to seed. Our previous work on the same species demonstrated that the initiation of flowering depends on snowmelt timing, with warmer temperatures and soil moisture also playing a role. Here, we found that for the majority of the flowering community, the same climate drivers also affected the time it takes to move from flowering to seed dispersal. Climate-sensitive species shortened flower-seed transitions when snow melted earlier, temperatures were warmer, and/or soil dried down more quickly-conditions we expect with higher frequency under climate change. Our work underscores the fact that predicting the impact of climate change on plant reproductive phenology demands empirical data on phases beyond flowering. Additionally, it suggests that some species face a future in which multiple environmental factors will push them towards more rapid transitions from flowering to postflowering phases, with potential effects on plants themselves and the many animal associates that rely on them, including frugivores and seed predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meera Lee Sethi
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800 Seattle, Seattle, Washington, 98195-1800, USA
| | - Elli J Theobald
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800 Seattle, Seattle, Washington, 98195-1800, USA
| | - Ian Breckheimer
- Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, PO Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224, USA
| | - Janneke Hille Ris Lambers
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800 Seattle, Seattle, Washington, 98195-1800, USA
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4
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Effect of neighboring seeds associated with habitats on the seed removal of two coexisting myrmecochorous plants in central China. Basic Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2019.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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5
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Levine N, Ben-Zvi G, Seifan M, Giladi I. Investment in reward by ant-dispersed plants consistently selects for better partners along a geographic gradient. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz027. [PMID: 31139335 PMCID: PMC6534284 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) is an asymmetric, presumably mutualistic interaction, where a few ant species benefit many plants. Myrmecochorous plants express specialized adaptations, most notably a large elaiosome, which promote interactions with efficient seed dispersers while decreasing interactions with poor dispersers, resulting in de facto partner choice. However, because variation in plants' investment in reward and ant response to them may vary spatially and temporally, it is unclear whether such specialization is consistent along geographic gradients; especially towards myrmecochory's range margin. To answer this question on context-dependent partner choice, we first estimated variation in reward investment by co-occurring myrmecochores along a steep environmental gradient in a Mediterranean region. Second, we tested whether variation in plant investment in reward was positively and consistently correlated with the quality of dispersal plant received along the same gradient. Using in situ cafeteria experiments, we simultaneously presented diaspores of locally co-occurring myrmecochorous species to ants of two guilds representing high- and low-quality dispersers. We then recorded ant-seed behaviour, seed preference and seed removal rates for each ant guild. We found both overall and within-site high variation among plant species in the total and relative investment in elaiosomes. Both ant guilds removed substantial proportion of the seeds. However, scavenging ants (high-quality dispersers) clearly preferred diaspores with larger elaiosomes, whereas granivorous ants (low-quality dispersers) exhibited no preference. Furthermore, both the variation in plant traits and the corresponding response of different ant guilds were consistent along the studied geographic gradient. This consistency holds even when granivores, which removed seeds in a non-selective fashion and provided apparently low-quality seed dispersal services, were, at least numerically, the dominant ant guild. This dominance and the consistency of the partner choice shed light on the functionality of elaiosomes at the margins of myrmecochory's distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataly Levine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Gilad Ben-Zvi
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Merav Seifan
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Itamar Giladi
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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6
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Reiner Brodetzki T, Hefetz A. Determining social and population structures requires multiple approaches: A case study of the desert ant Cataglyphis israelensis. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12365-12374. [PMID: 30619551 PMCID: PMC6308896 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The remarkable diversity of ant social organization is reflected in both their life history and population kin structure. Different species demonstrate a high variation with respect to both social structure and mating strategies: from the ancestral colony type that is composed of a single queen (monogyny), singly inseminated (monoandry), to the more derived states of colonies headed by a multiply inseminated queen (polyandry), to colonies composed of multiple queens (polygyny) that are either singly or multiply inseminated. Moreover, the population structure of an ant species can range from multicoloniality to polydomy to supercoloniality, and Cataglyphis is considered to be a model genus in regard to such diversity. The present study sought to determine the social and population structure of the recently described C. israelensis species in Israel. For this purpose we employed a multidisciplinary approach, rather than the commonly used single approach that is mostly based on genetics. Our study encompassed behavior (nest insularity/openness), chemistry (composition of nestmate recognition signals and cuticular hydrocarbons), and genetics (microsatellite polymorphism). Each approach has been shown to possess both advantages and disadvantages, depending on the studied species. Our findings reveal that C. israelensis colonies are headed by a single, multiply inseminated queen and that the population structure is polydomous, with each colony comprising one main nest and several additional satellite nests. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that none of the above-noted approaches, when employed individually, is suitable or sufficient in itself for delineating population structure, thus emphasizing the importance of using multiple approaches when assessing such complex systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tali Reiner Brodetzki
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life SciencesTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Abraham Hefetz
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life SciencesTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
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7
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Cortés-Flores J, Cornejo-Tenorio G, Urrea-Galeano LA, Andresen E, González-Rodríguez A, Ibarra-Manríquez G. Phylogeny, fruit traits, and ecological correlates of fruiting phenology in a Neotropical dry forest. Oecologia 2018; 189:159-169. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4295-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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8
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Penn HJ, Crist TO. From dispersal to predation: A global synthesis of ant-seed interactions. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:9122-9138. [PMID: 30377488 PMCID: PMC6194306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 05/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant-seed interactions take several forms, including dispersal, predation, and parasitism, whereby ants consume seed appendages without dispersal of seeds. We hypothesized that these interaction outcomes could be predicted by ant and plant traits and habitat, with outcomes falling along a gradient of cost and benefit to the plant. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a global literature review and classified over 6,000 pairs of ant-seed interactions from 753 studies across six continents. Linear models showed that seed and ant size, habitat, and dispersal syndrome were the most consistent predictors. Predation was less likely than parasitism and seed dispersal among myrmecochorous plants. A classification tree of the predicted outcomes from linear models revealed that dispersal and predation formed distinct categories based on habitat, ant size, and dispersal mode, with parasitism outcomes forming a distinct subgroup of predation based on seed size and shape. Multiple correspondence analysis indicated some combinations of ant genera and plant families were strongly associated with particular outcomes, whereas other ant-seed combinations were much more variable. Taken together, these results demonstrate that ant and plant traits are important overall predictors of potential seed fates in different habitat types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J. Penn
- Department of EntomologyLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLouisiana
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9
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Phenological specialisation of two ant-dispersed sedges in relation to requirements for qualitative and quantitative dispersal effectiveness. Ecol Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-017-1479-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Oms CS, Cerdá X, Boulay R. Is phenotypic plasticity a key mechanism for responding to thermal stress in ants? Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:42. [PMID: 28470449 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1464-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Unlike natural selection, phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to respond quickly to changing environmental conditions. However, plasticity may not always be adaptive. In insects, body size and other morphological measurements have been shown to decrease as temperature increases. This relationship may lead to a physiological conflict in ants, where larger body size and longer legs often confer better thermal resistance. Here, we tested the effect of developmental temperature (20, 24, 28 or 32 °C) on adult thermal resistance in the thermophilic ant species Aphaenogaster senilis. We found that no larval development occurred at 20 °C. However, at higher temperatures, developmental speed increased as expected and smaller adults were produced. In thermal resistance tests, we found that ants reared at 28 and 32 °C had half-lethal temperatures that were 2 °C higher than those of ants reared at 24 °C. Thus, although ants reared at higher temperatures were smaller in size, they were nonetheless more thermoresistant. These results show that A. senilis can exploit phenotypic plasticity to quickly adjust its thermal resistance to local conditions and that this process is independent of morphological adaptations. This mechanism may be particularly relevant given current rapid climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristela Sánchez Oms
- Estación Biologica de Doñana, CSIC, Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
- Institute of Insect Biology, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Xim Cerdá
- Estación Biologica de Doñana, CSIC, Avenida Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Raphaël Boulay
- Institute of Insect Biology, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France.
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11
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Houadria M, Blüthgen N, Salas-Lopez A, Schmitt MI, Arndt J, Schneider E, Orivel J, Menzel F. The relation between circadian asynchrony, functional redundancy, and trophic performance in tropical ant communities. Ecology 2016; 97:225-35. [PMID: 27008791 DOI: 10.1890/14-2466.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The diversity-stability relationship has been under intense scrutiny for the past decades, and temporal asynchrony is recognized as an important aspect of ecosystem stability. In contrast to relatively well-studied interannual and seasonal asynchrony, few studies investigate the role of circadian cycles for ecosystem stability. Here, we studied multifunctional redundancy of diurnal and nocturnal ant communities in four tropical rain forest sites. We analyzed how it was influenced by species richness, functional performance, and circadian asynchrony. In two neotropical sites, species richness and functional redundancy were lower at night. In contrast, these parameters did not differ in the two paleotropical sites we studied. Circadian asynchrony between species was pronounced in the neotropical sites, and increased circadian functional redundancy. In general, species richness positively affected functional redundancy, but the effect size depended on the temporal and spatial breadth of the species with highest functional performance. Our analysis shows that high levels of trophic performance were only reached through the presence of such high-performing species, but not by even contributions of multiple, less-efficient species. Thus, these species can increase current functional performance, but reduce overall functional redundancy. Our study highlights that diurnal and nocturnal ecosystem properties of the very same habitat can markedly differ in terms of species richness and functional redundancy. Consequently, like the need to study multiple ecosystem functions, multiple periods of the circadian cycle need to be assessed in order to fully understand the diversity-stability relationship in an ecosystem.
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12
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Chen G, Huang SZ, Chen SC, Chen YH, Liu X, Sun WB. Chemical composition of diaspores of the myrmecochorous plant Stemona tuberosa Lour. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2015.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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13
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Sharaf MR, Collingwood CA, Aldawood AS. Notes on the ant genus Cataglyphis Foerster, 1850 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species and a key to species of the C. pallida-group. Zookeys 2015:101-17. [PMID: 26798297 PMCID: PMC4714370 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.545.6308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cataglyphisfisherisp. n. is described and illustrated from the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia based on the worker caste. It belongs to the Cataglyphispallida-group which is recorded for the first time from the Arabian Peninsula. Cataglyphisfisherisp. n. is similar to Cataglyphispallida Mayr, 1877 from Kazakhstan. Differential diagnosis between these two species is given and a key to the species of the Cataglyphispallida-group is presented. Cataglyphislaylae Collingwood, 2011 is treated as a junior synonym of Cataglyphissaharae Santschi, 1929. Cataglyphisflavobrunnea Collingwood & Agosti, 1996 is redescribed and a lectotype for this species is designated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa R Sharaf
- Economic Entomology Research Unit (EERU), Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, P. O. Box 2460, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Abdulrahman S Aldawood
- Economic Entomology Research Unit (EERU), Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, P. O. Box 2460, Saudi Arabia
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Caut S, Barroso Á, Cerdá X, Amor F, Boulay RR. A year in an ant's life: Opportunism and seasonal variation in the foraging ecology ofAphaenogaster senilis. ECOSCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/20-1-3559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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15
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Bologna A, Detrain C. Steep Decline and Cessation in Seed Dispersal by Myrmica rubra Ants. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139365. [PMID: 26414161 PMCID: PMC4587374 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Myrmecochorous diaspores bear a nutrient-rich appendage, the elaiosome, attractive to ant workers that retrieve them into the nest, detach the elaiosome and reject the seed intact. While this interaction is beneficial for the plant partner by ensuring its seed dispersal, elaiosome consumption has various effects −positive, negative or none − on ants’ demography and survival, depending on both the ant/plant species involved. In this context, the contribution of ants to seed dispersal strongly varies according to the ant/plant pairs considered. In this paper, we investigate whether the dynamics of myrmecochory also vary on a temporal scale, for a given pair of partners: Myrmica rubra ants and Viola odorata seeds. During their first encounter with seeds, ants collect all the diaspores and eat the majority of elaiosomes. Both the harvesting effort and the elaiosome consumption decline when seeds are offered on the next week and completely cease for the following weeks. This is related to a decrease in the number of foragers reaching the food source, as well as to a reduced probability for an ant contacting a seed to retrieve it. Seed retrieval is not reactivated after seven weeks without any encounter with V. odorata seeds. By contrast, naive ant colonies only fed with fruit flies do not show a decline of prey harvesting of which the speed of retrieval even increases over the successive weeks. Myrmecochory may thus be labile at the scale of a fruiting season due to the ability of ants to steeply tune and cease for several months the harvesting of these seemingly poorly rewarding items and to maintain cessation of seed exploitation. The present study emphasizes the importance of a long-lasting follow up of the myrmecochory process, to assess the stability of this ant-plant partnership and to identify mechanisms of adaptive harvesting in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Bologna
- Service d'Ecologie Sociale, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Claire Detrain
- Service d'Ecologie Sociale, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
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16
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Arnan X, Molowny-Horas R, Rodrigo A, Retana J. Uncoupling the effects of seed predation and seed dispersal by granivorous ants on plant population dynamics. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42869. [PMID: 22880125 PMCID: PMC3413678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondary seed dispersal is an important plant-animal interaction, which is central to understanding plant population and community dynamics. Very little information is still available on the effects of dispersal on plant demography and, particularly, for ant-seed dispersal interactions. As many other interactions, seed dispersal by animals involves costs (seed predation) and benefits (seed dispersal), the balance of which determines the outcome of the interaction. Separate quantification of each of them is essential in order to understand the effects of this interaction. To address this issue, we have successfully separated and analyzed the costs and benefits of seed dispersal by seed-harvesting ants on the plant population dynamics of three shrub species with different traits. To that aim a stochastic, spatially-explicit individually-based simulation model has been implemented based on actual data sets. The results from our simulation model agree with theoretical models of plant response dependent on seed dispersal, for one plant species, and ant-mediated seed predation, for another one. In these cases, model predictions were close to the observed values at field. Nonetheless, these ecological processes did not affect in anyway a third species, for which the model predictions were far from the observed values. This indicates that the balance between costs and benefits associated to secondary seed dispersal is clearly related to specific traits. This study is one of the first works that analyze tradeoffs of secondary seed dispersal on plant population dynamics, by disentangling the effects of related costs and benefits. We suggest analyzing the effects of interactions on population dynamics as opposed to merely analyzing the partners and their interaction strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Arnan
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
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17
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Substrate Temperature Constrains Recruitment and Trail Following Behavior in Ants. J Chem Ecol 2012; 38:802-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-012-0130-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2012] [Revised: 04/10/2012] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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18
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Amor F, Ortega P, Cerdá X, Boulay RR. Solar Elevation Triggers Foraging Activity in a Thermophilic Ant. Ethology 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01955.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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19
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Traill LW, Lim MLM, Sodhi NS, Bradshaw CJA. REVIEW: Mechanisms driving change: altered species interactions and ecosystem function through global warming. J Anim Ecol 2010; 79:937-47. [PMID: 20487086 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01695.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lochran W Traill
- The Environment Institute and School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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21
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Pfeiffer M, Huttenlocher H, Ayasse M. Myrmecochorous plants use chemical mimicry to cheat seed-dispersing ants. Funct Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01661.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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22
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Manzaneda AJ, Rey PJ. Assessing ecological specialization of an ant–seed dispersal mutualism through a wide geographic range. Ecology 2009; 90:3009-22. [PMID: 19967857 DOI: 10.1890/08-2274.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J Manzaneda
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda. Maria Luisa s/n, E-41013 Sevilla, Spain.
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23
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Small-scale indirect effects determine the outcome of a tripartite plant–disperser–granivore interaction. Oecologia 2009; 161:529-37. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-009-1404-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2008] [Accepted: 06/15/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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