1
|
Mayer VE, Voglmayr H, Blatrix R, Orivel J, Leroy C. Fungi as mutualistic partners in ant-plant interactions. FRONTIERS IN FUNGAL BIOLOGY 2023; 4:1213997. [PMID: 37850069 PMCID: PMC10577302 DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2023.1213997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Associations between fungi and ants living in mutualistic relationship with plants ("plant-ants") have been known for a long time. However, only in recent years has the mutualistic nature, frequency, and geographical extent of associations between tropical arboreal ants with fungi of the ascomycete order Chaetothyriales and Capnodiales (belonging to the so-called "Black Fungi") become clear. Two groups of arboreal ants displaying different nesting strategies are associated with ascomycete fungi: carton-building ants that construct nest walls and galleries on stems, branches or below leaves which are overgrown by fungal hyphae, and plant-ants that make their nests inside living plants (myrmecophytes) in plant provided cavities (domatia) where ants cultivate fungi in small delimited "patches". In this review we summarize the current knowledge about these unsuspected plant-ant-fungus interactions. The data suggest, that at least some of these ant-associated fungi seem to have coevolved with ants over a long period of time and have developed specific adaptations to this lifestyle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veronika E. Mayer
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research – Division of Structural and Functional Botany, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research – Mycology Research Group, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Rumsais Blatrix
- CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Jérôme Orivel
- EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
| | - Céline Leroy
- EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
- AMAP, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pijnakker J, Vangansbeke D, Duarte M, Moerkens R, Wäckers FL. Predators and Parasitoids-in-First: From Inundative Releases to Preventative Biological Control in Greenhouse Crops. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.595630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated mass introductions of natural enemies have been widely used as a biological control strategy in greenhouse systems when the resident population of natural enemies is insufficient to suppress the pests. As an alternative strategy, supporting the establishment and population development of beneficials can be more effective and economical. The preventative establishment of predators and parasitoids, before the arrival of pests, has become a key element to the success of biological control programs. This “Predators and parasitoids-in-first” strategy is used both in Inoculative Biological Control (IBC), and in Conservation Biological Control (CBC). Here, we provide an overview of tools used to boost resident populations of biocontrol agents.
Collapse
|
3
|
Kokolo B, Attéké Nkoulémbéné C, Ibrahim B, M'Batchi B, Blatrix R. Phenotypic plasticity in size of ant-domatia. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20948. [PMID: 33262446 PMCID: PMC7708978 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77995-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant-plants produce hollow structures called domatia to host protecting ants. Although size variation in domatia is well documented between related species, intraspecific variation is little explored. The central African ant-plant Barteria dewevrei exibits strong variation in domatium size, giving the opportunity to explore the mechanism underlying variation in a mutualistic trait. We showed that domatium size in Barteria dewevrei varies between sites. We transplanted individual plants between two sites in Gabon where plants have different domatium sizes. Domatium size of transplanted plants changed, revealing that variation in this mutualistic trait is driven by phenotypic plasticity. The two sites differed in their environmental conditions: highland open savanna on sandy soil vs lowland closed tropical rain forest on sandy-loam soil. However, as stomatal density and δ13C of leaves did not differ between sites or between branches produced before and after transplantation, we have no cue on the role of abiotic stress (such as light intensity and water availability) in domatium size variation. As the obligate Tetraponera ant symbionts are too large to fit in the small domatia, variation of the mutualistic trait in response to environmental change through phenotypic plasticity may impact this specialized mutualism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand Kokolo
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Unité de Recherche Agrobiologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), BP 901, Franceville, Gabon.
| | - Christiane Attéké Nkoulémbéné
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Unité de Recherche Agrobiologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), BP 901, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Brama Ibrahim
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Unité de Recherche Agrobiologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), BP 901, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Bertrand M'Batchi
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Unité de Recherche Agrobiologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), BP 901, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Rumsais Blatrix
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier - CNRS - EPHE - IRD - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Melati BG, Leal LC. Aggressive bodyguards are not always the best: Preferential interaction with more aggressive ant species reduces reproductive success of plant bearing extrafloral nectaries. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199764. [PMID: 29949639 PMCID: PMC6021078 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in partner species and frequency of interaction between species pairs are potential drivers of the net outcome of generalized mutualisms. In ant-plant mutualisms, the quality of defence provided by ants is related to ant aggressiveness. Hence, we hypothesize that the performance of plants bearing extrafloral nectaries will be higher when they interact more frequently with more aggressive ant species. We estimated ant aggressiveness in the field by observing their behaviour towards soil baits. Afterwards, we observed the frequency with which individuals from these ant species visited plants through an entire reproductive cycle. We measured the production and persistence of plants reproductive structures through this period and the total seed production. Increasing in the interaction frequency with highly aggressive ants reduced the number of floral buds and seeds produced. Increased visitation frequency by less aggressive ants increased the number of floral buds and seeds per branch. The inverse relationship between ant aggressiveness and seed production may be influenced by the costs imposed by different mutualistic partners. Thus, frequent interaction with highly aggressive ants may lead to a higher accumulation of costs through time, resulting in a negative net outcome for the plants. Our results bring new evidence highlighting the importance to incorporate temporal aspects in the study of mutualistic interactions. We suggests that the quality of mutualistic partners must be understood as a function of its per-interaction benefit and their cumulative costs to their partner over time, what puts in check our current classification regarding partner quality in mutualistic systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Gabriel Melati
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Laura Carolina Leal
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chanam J, Kasinathan S, Pramanik GK, Jagdeesh A, Joshi KA, Borges RM. Foliar Extrafloral Nectar ofHumboldtia brunonis(Fabaceae), a Paleotropic Ant-plant, is Richer than Phloem Sap and More Attractive than Honeydew. Biotropica 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Joyshree Chanam
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012 India
| | | | - Gautam K. Pramanik
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012 India
| | - Amaraja Jagdeesh
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012 India
| | - Kanchan A. Joshi
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012 India
| | - Renee M. Borges
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012 India
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Context dependency of rewards and services in an Indian ant–plant interaction: southern sites favour the mutualism between plants and ants. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1017/s026646741400011x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Protection-based ant–plant mutualisms may vary in strength due to differences in ant rewards, abundance of protective ants and herbivory pressure. We investigated geographical and temporal variation in host plant traits and herbivory pressure at five sites spanning the distribution range of the myrmecophyteHumboldtia brunonis(Fabaceae) in the Indian Western Ghats. Southern sites had, on average, 2.4 times greater abundance of domatia-bearing individuals, 1.6 times greater extrafloral nectary numbers per leaf, 1.2 times larger extrafloral nectary sizes, 2.2 times greater extrafloral nectar (EFN) volumes and a two-fold increase in total amino acid and total sugar concentrations in EFN compared with northern sites. A strong protection-based mutualism with ants occurred at only one southern site where herbivory was highest, suggesting that investments in attracting ants correlate with anti-herbivore benefits gained from the presence of protective ants. Our results confirm a temporally stable north–south gradient in myrmecophytic traits in this ant-plant as several of these traits were re-sampled after a 5-y interval. However, the chemical composition of EFN varied at both spatial and short-term temporal scales suggesting that only repeated measurements of rewards such as EFN can reveal the real spectrum of trait variation in an ant–plant mutualistic system.
Collapse
|
7
|
Chanam J, Sheshshayee MS, Kasinathan S, Jagdeesh A, Joshi KA, Borges RM. Nutritional benefits from domatia inhabitants in an ant-plant interaction: interlopers do pay the rent. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joyshree Chanam
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Madavalam Sreeman Sheshshayee
- Department of Crop Physiology; University of Agricultural Sciences; Gandhi Krishi Vignyan Kendra; Bangalore 560054, India
| | - Srinivasan Kasinathan
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Amaraja Jagdeesh
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Kanchan A. Joshi
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Renee M. Borges
- Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore 560012, India
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Saldaña-Vázquez RA, Sosa VJ, Iñiguez-Dávalos LI, Schondube JE. The role of extrinsic and intrinsic factors in Neotropical fruit bat–plant interactions. J Mammal 2013. [DOI: 10.1644/11-mamm-a-370.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
|
9
|
Composition of Extrafloral Nectar Influences Interactions between the Myrmecophyte Humboldtia brunonis and its Ant Associates. J Chem Ecol 2012; 38:88-99. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-011-0052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2010] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 12/11/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
|