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Sun S, Kilner RM. Competition among host-specific lineages of Poecilochirus carabi mites influences the extent of co-adaptation with their Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetle hosts. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10837. [PMID: 38192905 PMCID: PMC10771929 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Reciprocal selection between symbiotic organisms and their hosts can generate variations in local adaptation between them. Symbionts often form species complexes with lineages partially adapted to various hosts. However, it is unclear how interactions among these lineages influences geographic variation in the extent of host-symbiont local adaptation. We addressed this shortcoming with experiments on burying beetles Nicrophorus vespilloides and their specialist phoretic mite Poecilochirus carabi in two adjacent woodlands. Burying beetles transport these mites to vertebrate carrion upon which they both reproduce. P. carabi appears to be a species complex, with distinct lineages that specialise on breeding alongside different Nicrophorus species. We found that in one wood (Gamlingay Woods), N. vespilloides carries a mixture of mite lineages, with each lineage corresponding to one of the four Nicrophorus species that inhabits this wood. However, two burying beetle species coexist in neighbouring Waresley Woods and here N. vespilloides predominantly carries the mite lineage that favours N. vespilloides. Mite lineage mixing alters the degree of local adaptation for both N. vespilloides and the P. carabi mites, affecting reproductive success variably across different woodlands. In Gamlingay, mite lineage mixing reduced N. vespilloides reproductive success, while experimentally purifying mites lineage enhanced it. The near pure lineage of vespilloides mites negligibly affected Waresley N. vespilloides. Mite reproductive success varied with host specificity: Gamlingay mites had greatest reproductive success on Gamlingay beetles, and performed less well with Waresley beetles. By contrast, Waresley mites had consistent reproductive success, regardless of beetle's woodland of origin. We conclude that there is some evidence that N. vespilloides and its specific mite lineage have coadapted. However, neither N. vespilloides nor its mite lineage adapted to breed alongside other mite lineages. This, we suggest, causes variation between Waresley and Gaminglay Woods in the extent of local adaptation between N. vespilloides beetles and their P. carabi mites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syuan‐Jyun Sun
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- International Degree Program in Climate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentNational Taiwan UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
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2
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Villamil N, Boege K, Stone GN. Defensive mutualists affect outcross pollen transfer and male fitness in their host plant. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nora Villamil
- Inst. of Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, The King's Buildings Edinburgh UK
- Dept of Ecology and Evolution, Univ. de Lausanne Biophore Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Karina Boege
- Inst. de Ecología, Univ. Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria Ciudad De México México
| | - Graham N. Stone
- Inst. of Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, The King's Buildings Edinburgh UK
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3
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Positive effects of ants on host trees are critical in years of low reproduction and not influenced by liana presence. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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4
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Donald ML, Miller TEX. Does ant-plant mutualism have spillover effects on the non-partner ant community? Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8524. [PMID: 35127034 PMCID: PMC8796954 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutualism benefits partner species, and theory predicts these partnerships can affect the abundance, diversity, and composition of partner and non-partner species. We used 16 years of monitoring data to determine the ant partner species of tree cholla cacti (Cylindropuntia imbricata), which reward ants with extrafloral nectar in exchange for anti-herbivore defense. These long-term data revealed one dominant ant partner (Liometopum apiculatum) and two less common partners (Crematogaster opuntiae and Forelius pruinosus). We then used short-term characterization of the terrestrial ant community by pitfall trapping to sample partner and non-partner ant species across ten plots of varying cactus density. We found that the dominant ant partner tended a higher proportion cacti in plots of higher cactus density, and was also found at higher occurrence within the pitfall traps in higher density plots, suggesting a strong positive feedback that promotes ant partner occurrence where plant partners are available. Despite the strong association and increased partner occurrence, ant community-wide effects from this mutualism appear limited. Of the common ant species, the occurrence of a single non-partner ant species was negatively associated with cactus density and with the increased presence of L. apiculatum. Additionally, the composition and diversity of the ant community in our plots were insensitive to cactus density variation, indicating that positive effects of the mutualism on the dominant ant partner did not have cascading impacts on the ant community. This study provides novel evidence that exclusive mutualisms, even those with a strong positive feedback, may be limited in the scope of their community-level effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion L. Donald
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyDepartment of BioSciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
- Biocontrol & Molecular EcologyManaaki Whenua Landcare ResearchLincolnNew Zealand
| | - Tom E. X. Miller
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyDepartment of BioSciencesRice UniversityHoustonTexasUSA
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5
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Devegili AM, Lescano MN, Gianoli E, Farji-Brener AG. Evidence of indirect biotic resistance: native ants decrease invasive plant fitness by enhancing aphid infestation. Oecologia 2021; 196:607-618. [PMID: 33616724 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04874-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The biotic resistance hypothesis asserts that native species may hinder the invasion of exotic species, which can occur either directly or indirectly by influencing interactions between exotic and local species. Aphid-tending ants may play a key role in the indirect biotic resistance to plant invasion. Ants may protect aphids, thus increasing their negative effect on exotic plants, but may also deter chewing herbivores, thus benefiting exotic plants. We studied native aphid-tending ants (Dorymyrmex tener, Camponotus distinguendus, and Dorymyrmex richteri) on exotic nodding thistles (Carduus thoermeri), which are attacked by thistle aphids (Brachycaudus cardui) and thistle-head weevils (Rhinocyllus conicus). We evaluated the impact of ants, aphids, and weevils on thistle seed set. We compared ant species aggressiveness towards aphid predators and weevils and performed ant-exclusion experiments to determine the effects of ants on aphid predators and weevils. We analysed whether ant species affected thistle seed set through their effects on aphids and/or weevils. The ant D. tener showed the most aggressive behaviour towards aphid predators and weevils. Further, D. tener successfully removed aphid predators from thistles but did not affect weevils. Excluding D. tener from thistles increased seed set. Analyses supported a negative indirect pathway between the aggressive D. tener and thistle seed set through aphid populations, while the other ant species showed no indirect effects on thistle reproduction. Therefore, aggressive aphid-tending ants may enhance biotic resistance by increasing aphid infestation on exotic invasive plants. This study highlights the importance of indirect biotic resistance in modulating the success of invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés M Devegili
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas (LIHO), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNComa), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, C.P: 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
| | - María N Lescano
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas (LIHO), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNComa), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, C.P: 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Ernesto Gianoli
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile.,Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Alejandro G Farji-Brener
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas (LIHO), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNComa), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, C.P: 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
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6
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Mesquita-Neto JN, Paiva EAS, Galetto L, Schlindwein C. Nectar Secretion of Floral Buds of Tococa guianensis Mediates Interactions With Generalist Ants That Reduce Florivory. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:627. [PMID: 32508868 PMCID: PMC7253585 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The specialised mutualism between Tococa guianensis and ants housed in its leaf domatia is a well-known example of myrmecophily. A pollination study on this species revealed that flowers in the bud stage exude a sugary solution that is collected by ants. Given the presence of this unexpected nectar secretion, we investigated how, where, and when floral buds of T. guianensis secret nectar and what function it serves. We studied a population of T. guianensis occurring in a swampy area in the Cerrado of Brazil by analyzing the chemical composition and secretion dynamics of the floral-bud nectar and the distribution and ultrastructure of secretory tissues. We also measured flower damage using ant-exclusion experiments. Floral bud nectar was secreted at the tip of the petals, which lack a typical glandular structure but possess distinctive mesophyll due to the presence of numerous calcium oxalate crystals. The nectar, the production of which ceased after flower opening, was composed mainly of sucrose and low amounts of glucose and fructose. Nectar was consumed by generalist ants and sporadically by stingless bees. Ant exclusion experiments resulted in significantly increased flower damage. The floral nectar of T. guianensis is produced during the bud stage. This bud-nectar has the extranuptial function of attracting generalist ants that reduce florivory. Pollen is the unique floral resource attracting pollinators during anthesis. Tococa guianensis, thus, establishes relationships with two functional groups of ant species: specialist ants acting against herbivory and generalist ants acting against florivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Neiva Mesquita-Neto
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Centro de Investigación en Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Elder Antônio Sousa Paiva
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Galetto
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (UNC-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Clemens Schlindwein
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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7
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Passos FCS, Leal LC. Protein matters: ants remove herbivores more frequently from extrafloral nectary-bearing plants when habitats are protein poor. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felipe C S Passos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brasil
| | - Laura C Leal
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brasil
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, São Paulo, Brasil
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Santos ATF, Leal LC. My plant, my rules: bodyguard ants of plants with extrafloral nectaries affect patterns of pollinator visits but not pollination success. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Thiciane F Santos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Laura C Leal
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, Brazil
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9
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Sandoval-Molina MA, Zavaleta-Mancera HA, León-Solano HJ, Solache-Ramos LT, Jenner B, Morales-Rodríguez S, Patrón-Soberano A, Janczur MK. First description of extrafloral nectaries in Opuntia robusta (Cactaceae): Anatomy and ultrastructure. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200422. [PMID: 30016339 PMCID: PMC6049920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To our knowledge, there are no studies about the structure and ecological function of extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) in Opuntia robusta. This is the first description of EFNs in O. robusta, where young spines have an interesting structure and a secreting function, which are different from EFNs described in other Cactaceae species. We used light, scanning-electron, and transmission-electron microscopy to examine morphology, anatomy, and ultrastructure of the secretory spines in areoles in female and hermaphrodite individuals of O. robusta. Young cladodes develop areoles with modified and secretory spines as EFNs only active during the early growth phase. EFNs are non-vascularized structures, with no stomata, that consist of a basal meristematic tissue, a middle elongation region, and an apical secretory cone formed by large globular epidermal cells, containing nectar and medullar elongated cells. We observed the presence of Golgi apparatus, vesicles and plastids in the medullar and sup-epidermal cells of the spine. We propose that the nectar is stored in the globular cells at the apex of the spine and secreted by breaking through the globular cells or by pores. We recorded a more frequent presence of ants on younger cladode sprouts producing young secreting spines: this result is parallel with the predictions of Optimal Defense Hypothesis, which states that younger plant organs should be better defended than older ones because their loss produces a higher fitness impairment. Although Diaz-Castelazo's hypothesis states that a more complex structure of EFNs correlates with their lower among-organs dispersion, comparing to less complex EFNs, non-vascularized structure of EFNs in O. robusta is not associated with their higher among-organs dispersion likened to O. stricta, which produces vascularized EFNs. We provide evidence that this characteristic is not a good taxonomic feature of Opuntia genus. Moreover, the comparison of EFNs of O. robusta and O. stricta suggests that the hypothesis of Diaz-Castelazo should be revised: it is rather a rule but not a law.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Alberto Sandoval-Molina
- Research Group in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Natural Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
- Instituto de Ecología, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Hilda Araceli Zavaleta-Mancera
- Unidad de Microscopía Electrónica, Postgrado en Botánica, Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, Texcoco, Estado de México
| | - Héctor Javier León-Solano
- Research Group in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Natural Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
- Graduate Program in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (PCARN), Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
| | - Lupita Tzenyatze Solache-Ramos
- Research Group in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Natural Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
- Graduate Program in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (PCARN), Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
| | - Bartosz Jenner
- Evidence Generation & Clinical Research RB, Hull, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Mariusz Krzysztof Janczur
- Research Group in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Natural Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
- Graduate Program in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (PCARN), Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Estado de México, México
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10
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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.
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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:
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11
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Wood CW, Pilkington BL, Vaidya P, Biel C, Stinchcombe JR. Genetic conflict with a parasitic nematode disrupts the legume-rhizobia mutualism. Evol Lett 2018; 2:233-245. [PMID: 30283679 PMCID: PMC6121810 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation for partner quality in mutualisms is an evolutionary paradox. One possible resolution to this puzzle is that there is a tradeoff between partner quality and other fitness‐related traits. Here, we tested whether susceptibility to parasitism is one such tradeoff in the mutualism between legumes and nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia). We performed two greenhouse experiments with the legume Medicago truncatula. In the first, we inoculated each plant with the rhizobia Ensifer meliloti and with one of 40 genotypes of the parasitic root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla. In the second experiment, we inoculated all plants with rhizobia and half of the plants with a genetically variable population of nematodes. Using the number of nematode galls as a proxy for infection severity, we found that plant genotypes differed in susceptibility to nematode infection, and nematode genotypes differed in infectivity. Second, we showed that there was a genetic correlation between the number of mutualistic structures formed by rhizobia (nodules) and the number of parasitic structures formed by nematodes (galls). Finally, we found that nematodes disrupt the rhizobia mutualism: nematode‐infected plants formed fewer nodules and had less nodule biomass than uninfected plants. Our results demonstrate that there is genetic conflict between attracting rhizobia and repelling nematodes in Medicago. If genetic conflict with parasitism is a general feature of mutualism, it could account for the maintenance of genetic variation in partner quality and influence the evolutionary dynamics of positive species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corlett W Wood
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Bonnie L Pilkington
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Priya Vaidya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Caroline Biel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada.,Koffler Scientific Reserve University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
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12
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Keystone mutualism strengthens top–down effects by recruiting large-bodied ants. Oecologia 2018; 186:601-610. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-4047-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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13
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Werner GDA, Zhou Y, Pieterse CMJ, Kiers ET. Tracking plant preference for higher-quality mycorrhizal symbionts under varying CO 2 conditions over multiple generations. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:78-87. [PMID: 29321853 PMCID: PMC5756855 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The symbiosis between plants and root-colonizing arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is one of the most ecologically important examples of interspecific cooperation in the world. AM fungi provide benefits to plants; in return plants allocate carbon resources to fungi, preferentially allocating more resources to higher-quality fungi. However, preferential allocations from plants to symbionts may vary with environmental context, particularly when resource availability affects the relative value of symbiotic services. We ask how differences in atmospheric CO 2-levels influence root colonization dynamics between AMF species that differ in their quality as symbiotic partners. We find that with increasing CO 2-conditions and over multiple plant generations, the more beneficial fungal species is able to achieve a relatively higher abundance. This suggests that increasing atmospheric carbon supply enables plants to more effectively allocate carbon to higher-quality mutualists, and over time helps reduce lower-quality AM abundance. Our results illustrate how environmental context may affect the extent to which organisms structure interactions with their mutualistic partners and have potential implications for mutualism stability and persistence under global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gijsbert D. A. Werner
- Department of Ecological ScienceVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Yeling Zhou
- Plant‐Microbe InteractionsDepartment of BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Corné M. J. Pieterse
- Plant‐Microbe InteractionsDepartment of BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - E. Toby Kiers
- Department of Ecological ScienceVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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14
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Yoder JB, Tiffin P. Sanctions, Partner Recognition, and Variation in Mutualism. Am Nat 2017; 190:491-505. [DOI: 10.1086/693472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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15
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Córdova-Acosta E, Zavala-Hurtado JA, Golubov J, Casas A. Reproductive biology of Ferocactus recurvus (Mill.) Borg subsp. recurvus (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2017; 19:798-805. [PMID: 28561940 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Mexico has one of the highest diversities of barrel cacti species worldwide; however, all are threatened and require conservation policies. Information on their reproductive biology is crucial, but few studies are available. Ferocactus recurvus subsp. recurvus is a barrel cactus endemic to the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. Our research aimed to characterise its floral and pollination biology. We hypothesised bee pollination, as suggested by its floral morphology and behaviour, and self-incompatibility, like most barrel cacti studied. Three study sites were selected in the semiarid Zapotitlán Valley, Mexico. We examined 190 flowers from 180 plants to determine: morphometry and behaviour of flowers, flower visitors and probable pollinators, and breeding system. Flowers showed diurnal anthesis, lasting 2-5 days, the stigma being receptive on day 2 or 3 after the start of anthesis. Flowers produced scarce/no nectar and main visitors were bees (Apidae), followed by flies (Muscidae), ants (Formicidae), thrips (Thripidae) and hummingbirds (Throchilidae); however, only native bees and occasionally wasps contacted the stigma and anthers. Pollination experiments revealed that this species is self-incompatible and xenogamous. In natural conditions, fruit set was 60% and cross-pollination fruit set was 100%. Percentage seed germination resulting from cross-pollination was higher than in the control treatment. Our results provide ecological information for conservation programmes to ensure a high probability of breeding and seed production in natural populations of F. recurvus.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Córdova-Acosta
- Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, México, México
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, México, México
| | - J A Zavala-Hurtado
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, México, México
| | - J Golubov
- Departamento El Hombre y su Ambiente, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, Col. Villa Quietud, México, México
| | - A Casas
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
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Schupp EW, Jordano P, Gómez JM. A general framework for effectiveness concepts in mutualisms. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:577-590. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eugene W. Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center; Utah State University; 5230 Old Main Hill Logan UT 84322-5230 USA
- Integrative Ecology Group; Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC; c/Americo Vespucio 26, Isla de La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla Spain
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Integrative Ecology Group; Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC; c/Americo Vespucio 26, Isla de La Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla Spain
| | - José María Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento s/n; La Cañada de San Urbano E-04120 Almería Spain
- Departamento de Ecología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Granada; E-18071 Granada Spain
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Yoder JB. Understanding the coevolutionary dynamics of mutualism with population genomics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2016; 103:1742-1752. [PMID: 27756732 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1600154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research on the evolution of mutualism has generated a wealth of possible ways whereby mutually beneficial interactions between species persist in spite of the apparent advantages to individuals that accept the benefits of mutualism without reciprocating - but identifying how any particular empirical system is stabilized against cheating remains challenging. Different hypothesized models of mutualism stability predict different forms of coevolutionary selection, and emerging high-throughput sequencing methods allow examination of the selective histories of mutualism genes and, thereby, the form of selection acting on those genes. Here, I review the evolutionary theory of mutualism stability and identify how differing models make contrasting predictions for the population genomic diversity and geographic differentiation of mutualism-related genes. As an example of the possibilities offered by genomic data, I analyze genes with roles in the symbiosis of Medicago truncatula and nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria, the first classic mutualism in which extensive genomic resources have been developed for both partners. Medicago truncatula symbiosis genes, as a group, differ from the rest of the genome, but they vary in the form of selection indicated by their diversity and differentiation - some show signs of selection expected from roles in sanctioning noncooperative symbionts, while others show evidence of balancing selection expected from coevolution with symbiont signaling factors. I then assess the current state of development for similar resources in other mutualistic interactions and look ahead to identify ways in which modern sequencing technology can best inform our understanding of mutualists and mutualism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy B Yoder
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada
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Aslan CE, Bronstein JL, Rogers HS, Gedan KB, Brodie J, Palmer TM, Young TP. Leveraging nature's backup plans to incorporate interspecific interactions and resilience into restoration. Restor Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clare E. Aslan
- Landscape Conservation Initiative; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff AZ 86005 U.S.A
| | - Judith L. Bronstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Arizona; Tucson AZ 85721 U.S.A
| | - Haldre S. Rogers
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology; Iowa State University; Ames IA 50010 U.S.A
| | - Keryn B. Gedan
- Department of Biology; University of Maryland; College Park MD 20740 U.S.A
| | - Jedediah Brodie
- Department of Zoology; University of British Columbia; Vancouver Canada
| | - Todd M. Palmer
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; Gainesville FL 32611 U.S.A
| | - Truman P. Young
- Department of Plant Sciences; University of California; Davis CA 95616 U.S.A
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Barker JL, Bronstein JL. Temporal Structure in Cooperative Interactions: What Does the Timing of Exploitation Tell Us about Its Cost? PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002371. [PMID: 26841169 PMCID: PMC4739704 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploitation in cooperative interactions both within and between species is widespread. Although it is assumed to be costly to be exploited, mechanisms to control exploitation are surprisingly rare, making the persistence of cooperation a fundamental paradox in evolutionary biology and ecology. Focusing on between-species cooperation (mutualism), we hypothesize that the temporal sequence in which exploitation occurs relative to cooperation affects its net costs and argue that this can help explain when and where control mechanisms are observed in nature. Our principal prediction is that when exploitation occurs late relative to cooperation, there should be little selection to limit its effects (analogous to “tolerated theft” in human cooperative groups). Although we focus on cases in which mutualists and exploiters are different individuals (of the same or different species), our inferences can readily be extended to cases in which individuals exhibit mixed cooperative-exploitative strategies. We demonstrate that temporal structure should be considered alongside spatial structure as an important process affecting the evolution of cooperation. We also provide testable predictions to guide future empirical research on interspecific as well as intraspecific cooperation. Considering the timing of exploitation relative to cooperation can provide insight into two debated features of mutualism: the costs of being exploited and the resulting mechanisms to control exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Barker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Judith L. Bronstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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Koptur S, Jones IM, Peña JE. The Influence of Host Plant Extrafloral Nectaries on Multitrophic Interactions: An Experimental Investigation. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138157. [PMID: 26394401 PMCID: PMC4578773 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted with outplantings of the native perennial shrub Senna mexicana var. chapmanii in a semi-natural area adjacent to native pine rockland habitat in southern Florida. The presence of ants and the availability of extrafloral nectar were manipulated in a stratified random design. Insect communities were monitored and recorded over a period of six months with a view to addressing three main questions. Do ants provide biotic defense against key herbivores on S. chapmanii? Is the presence of ants on S. chapmanii mediated by EFN? Finally, are there ecological costs associated with the presence of ants on S. chapmanii, such as a reduction in alternative predator or parasitoid numbers? Herbivores on S. chapmanii included immature stages of three pierid butterflies, and adult weevils. Eight species of ants were associated with the plants, and other predators included spiders, ladybugs, wasps, and hemipterans. Parasitic, haemolymph-sucking midges (Ceratopogonidae) and parasitoid flies were also associated with the caterpillar herbivores, and possibly the extrafloral nectaries of the plants. The presence of ants did not appear to influence oviposition by butterflies, as numbers of lepidopterans of all developmental stages did not differ among treatments. Significantly more late instar caterpillars, however, were observed on plants with ants excluded, indicating that ants remove small caterpillars from plants. Substantially more alternative predators (spiders, ladybugs, and wasps) were observed on plants with ants excluded. Rates of parasitization did not differ among the treatments, but there were substantially fewer caterpillars succumbing to virus among those collected from control plants. We provide a rare look at facultative ant-plant mutualisms in the context of the many other interactions with which they overlap. We conclude that ants provide some biotic defense against herbivores on S. chapmanii, and plants benefit overall from the presence of ants, despite negative impacts on non-ant predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Koptur
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Ian M. Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jorge E. Peña
- Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, Florida, United States of America
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Nogueira A, Rey PJ, Alcántara JM, Feitosa RM, Lohmann LG. Geographic mosaic of plant evolution: extrafloral nectary variation mediated by ant and herbivore assemblages. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123806. [PMID: 25885221 PMCID: PMC4401756 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivory is an ecological process that is known to generate different patterns of selection on defensive plant traits across populations. Studies on this topic could greatly benefit from the general framework of the Geographic Mosaic Theory of Coevolution (GMT). Here, we hypothesize that herbivory represents a strong pressure for extrafloral nectary (EFN) bearing plants, with differences in herbivore and ant visitor assemblages leading to different evolutionary pressures among localities and ultimately to differences in EFN abundance and function. In this study, we investigate this hypothesis by analyzing 10 populations of Anemopaegma album (30 individuals per population) distributed through ca. 600 km of Neotropical savanna and covering most of the geographic range of this plant species. A common garden experiment revealed a phenotypic differentiation in EFN abundance, in which field and experimental plants showed a similar pattern of EFN variation among populations. We also did not find significant correlations between EFN traits and ant abundance, herbivory and plant performance across localities. Instead, a more complex pattern of ant–EFN variation, a geographic mosaic, emerged throughout the geographical range of A. album. We modeled the functional relationship between EFNs and ant traits across ant species and extended this phenotypic interface to characterize local situations of phenotypic matching and mismatching at the population level. Two distinct types of phenotypic matching emerged throughout populations: (1) a population with smaller ants (Crematogaster crinosa) matched with low abundance of EFNs; and (2) seven populations with bigger ants (Camponotus species) matched with higher EFN abundances. Three matched populations showed the highest plant performance and narrower variance of EFN abundance, representing potential plant evolutionary hotspots. Cases of mismatched and matched populations with the lowest performance were associated with abundant and highly detrimental herbivores. Our findings provide insights on the ecology and evolution of plant–ant guarding systems, and suggest new directions to research on facultative mutualistic interactions at wide geographic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anselmo Nogueira
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail: (AN); (PJR); (JMA); (RMF); (LGL)
| | - Pedro J. Rey
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain
- * E-mail: (AN); (PJR); (JMA); (RMF); (LGL)
| | - Julio M. Alcántara
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain
- * E-mail: (AN); (PJR); (JMA); (RMF); (LGL)
| | - Rodrigo M. Feitosa
- Departamento de Zoologia, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- * E-mail: (AN); (PJR); (JMA); (RMF); (LGL)
| | - Lúcia G. Lohmann
- Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail: (AN); (PJR); (JMA); (RMF); (LGL)
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Spatial heterogeneity and host repression in fig-fig wasp mutualism. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2015; 58:492-500. [PMID: 25863497 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-015-4848-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
It is generally believed that physical heterogeneity in common resource or evolutionary restraint can sufficiently prevent direct conflict between host and symbionts in mutualism systems. Our data on fig/fig wasp reciprocal mutualism (Ficus racemosa), however, show that structural barriers of female flowers or genetic constraints of pollinators previously hypothesized exist, but cannot sufficiently maintain the mutualism stability. The results show that a positive relationship between seed and wasp production could be maintained in warm season, which might be because of density dependence restraint among foundresses and their low oviposition and pollination efficiency, keeping common resource (female flowers) utilization unsaturated. Whilst, a negative correlation between wasp offspring and viable seed production was also observed in cold season, which might be that the increased oviposition and pollination efficiency maximized the common resource utilization. The fitness trade-off between fig and pollinator wasps is greatly affected by environmental or ecological variations. The local stability might result from temporal low exploitation efficiency of pollinators together with interference competition among pollinators. We suggest that host repression through the active regulation of bract closure, which can create interference competition among the foundresses and prevent extra more foundresses sequential entry in fruit cavities, would help the figs avoiding the cost of over-exploitation. This essentially takes the same role as sanctioning of cheating or competitive behaviors.
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Alma AM, Pol RG, Pacheco LF, Vázquez DP. No Defensive Role of Ants throughout a Broad Latitudinal and Elevational Range of a Cactus. Biotropica 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M. Alma
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Centro Universitario; M5502JMA Mendoza Argentina
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; CONICET; CC 507; 5500 Mendoza Argentina
| | - Rodrigo G. Pol
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Centro Universitario; M5502JMA Mendoza Argentina
- CONICET; Desert Community Ecology Research Team (Ecodes); IADIZA Institute; CC 507 5500 Mendoza Argentina
| | - Luis F. Pacheco
- Instituto de Ecología; Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; Casilla 10077 Correo Central La Paz Bolivia
| | - Diego P. Vázquez
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Centro Universitario; M5502JMA Mendoza Argentina
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; CONICET; CC 507; 5500 Mendoza Argentina
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Vázquez DP, Ramos-Jiliberto R, Urbani P, Valdovinos FS. A conceptual framework for studying the strength of plant-animal mutualistic interactions. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:385-400. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Revised: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diego P. Vázquez
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; CONICET; CC 507, 5500 Mendoza Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Centro Universitario; M5502JMA Mendoza Argentina
| | - Rodrigo Ramos-Jiliberto
- Centro Nacional del Medio Ambiente; Fundación de la Universidad de Chile; Av. Larraín 9975 La Reina Santiago Chile
- Instituto de Filosofía y Ciencias de la Complejidad; Los Alerces 3024 Ñuñoa Santiago Chile
| | - Pasquinell Urbani
- Centro Nacional del Medio Ambiente; Fundación de la Universidad de Chile; Av. Larraín 9975 La Reina Santiago Chile
| | - Fernanda S. Valdovinos
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Arizona; BSW 310, 1041 Lowell St. Tucson AZ 85721 USA
- Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab; 1604 McGee Avenue Berkeley CA 94703 USA
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25
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Aranda-Rickert A, Diez P, Marazzi B. Extrafloral nectar fuels ant life in deserts. AOB PLANTS 2014; 6:plu068. [PMID: 25381258 PMCID: PMC4262941 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plu068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Interactions mediated by extrafloral nectary (EFN)-bearing plants that reward ants with a sweet liquid secretion are well documented in temperate and tropical habitats. However, their distribution and abundance in deserts are poorly known. In this study, we test the predictions that biotic interactions between EFN plants and ants are abundant and common also in arid communities and that EFNs are only functional when new vegetative and reproductive structures are developing. In a seasonal desert of northwestern Argentina, we surveyed the richness and phenology of EFN plants and their associated ants and examined the patterns in ant-plant interaction networks. We found that 25 ant species and 11 EFN-bearing plant species were linked together through 96 pairs of associations. Plants bearing EFNs were abundant, representing ca. 19 % of the species encountered in transects and 24 % of the plant cover. Most ant species sampled (ca. 77 %) fed on EF nectar. Interactions showed a marked seasonal pattern: EFN secretion was directly related to plant phenology and correlated with the time of highest ant ground activity. Our results reveal that EFN-mediated interactions are ecologically relevant components of deserts, and that EFN-bearing plants are crucial for the survival of desert ant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Aranda-Rickert
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja-CRILAR-(CONICET), Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, 5301 Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Patricia Diez
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja-CRILAR-(CONICET), Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, 5301 Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Brigitte Marazzi
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste-IBONE-(UNNE-CONICET), Sgto. Cabral 2131, 3400 Corrientes, Argentina
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Fitzpatrick G, Lanan MC, Bronstein JL. Thermal tolerance affects mutualist attendance in an ant-plant protection mutualism. Oecologia 2014; 176:129-38. [PMID: 25012597 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3005-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mutualism is an often complex interaction among multiple species, each of which may respond differently to abiotic conditions. The effects of temperature on the formation, dissolution, and success of these and other species interactions remain poorly understood. We studied the thermal ecology of the mutualism between the cactus Ferocactus wislizeni and its ant defenders (Forelius pruinosus, Crematogaster opuntiae, Solenopsis aurea, and Solenopsis xyloni) in the Sonoran Desert, USA. The ants are attracted to extrafloral nectar produced by the plants and, in exchange, protect the plants from herbivores; there is a hierarchy of mutualist effectiveness based on aggression toward herbivores. We determined the relationship between temperature and ant activity on plants, the thermal tolerance of each ant species, and ant activity in relation to the thermal environment of plants. Temperature played a role in determining which species interact as mutualists. Three of the four ant species abandoned the plants during the hottest part of the day (up to 40 °C), returning when surface temperature began to decrease in the afternoon. The least effective ant mutualist, F. pruinosus, had a significantly higher critical thermal maximum than the other three species, was active across the entire range of plant surface temperatures observed (13.8-57.0 °C), and visited plants that reached the highest temperatures. F. pruinosus occupied some plants full-time and invaded plants occupied by more dominant species when those species were thermally excluded. Combining data on thermal tolerance and mutualist effectiveness provides a potentially powerful tool for predicting the effects of temperature on mutualisms and mutualistic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginny Fitzpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA,
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González-Teuber M, Kaltenpoth M, Boland W. Mutualistic ants as an indirect defence against leaf pathogens. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2014; 202:640-650. [PMID: 24392817 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 11/28/2013] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Mutualistic ants are commonly considered as an efficient indirect defence against herbivores. Nevertheless, their indirect protective role against plant pathogens has been scarcely investigated. We compared the protective role against pathogens of two different ant partners, a mutualistic and a parasitic ant, on the host plant Acacia hindsii (Fabaceae). The epiphytic bacterial community on leaves was evaluated in the presence and absence of both ant partners by cultivation and by 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Pathogen-inflicted leaf damage, epiphytic bacterial abundance (colony-forming units) and number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were significantly higher in plants inhabited by parasitic ants than in plants inhabited by mutualistic ants. Unifrac unweighted and weighted principal component analyses showed that the bacterial community composition on leaves changed significantly when mutualistic ants were removed from plants or when plants were inhabited by parasitic ants. Direct mechanisms provided by ant-associated bacteria would contribute to the protective role against pathogens. The results suggest that the indirect defence of mutualistic ants also covers the protection from bacterial plant pathogens. Our findings highlight the importance of considering bacterial partners in ant-plant defensive mutualisms, which can contribute significantly to ant-mediated protection from plant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia González-Teuber
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Beutenberg Campus, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, Casilla 554, La Serena, Chile
| | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Beutenberg Campus, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Boland
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Beutenberg Campus, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
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Ackerman JD, Falcón W, Molinari J, Vega C, Espino I, Cuevas AA. Biotic resistance and invasional meltdown: consequences of acquired interspecific interactions for an invasive orchid, Spathoglottis plicata in Puerto Rico. Biol Invasions 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-014-0676-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Pires LP, Del-Claro K. Variation in the outcomes of an ant-plant system: fire and leaf fungus infection reduce benefits to plants with extrafloral nectaries. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2014; 14:84. [PMID: 25368040 PMCID: PMC4217262 DOI: 10.1093/jis/14.1.84] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between species are evolutionary malleable and may suffer changes in small timescales. Environmental disturbances, such as fire, can deeply affect species interactions, but how they influence the outcome of a mutualistic interaction has yet to be studied. In order to test the hypothesis that an environmental disturbance, in this case fire, may produce differences in the outcome of the association of ants with the extrafloral-nectaries-bearing plant Qualea multiflora Mart. (Myrtales: Vochysiaceae), a previous study was replicated, but this time after fire incidence, at the same study site and with the same plant species. Eight ant species visited Q. multiflora, and the most abundant genera were Crematogaster, Cephalotes, and Camponotus. Herbivores were found in branches with and without ants with no statistical difference, but foliar herbivory was always higher in branchs where ants were absent. Leaves were infested by fungi, and fungi spots were higher in branches where ants were present. Compared to the previous study, it was clearly observed that ant benefits to Q. multiflora varied over time. The most common ant species still protected leaves against chewing herbivores, but a new kind of leaf damage appeared, namely fungi spots. Data also support that ants may be acting as vectors of fungi spores on plants, as ant visited branches had higher fungus incidence than non-visited branches. Fire is a major source of disturbance in tropical savannas, and we suggest that it can cause strong variation in the outcomes of interactions between ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries in the Brazilian tropical savanna.
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Affiliation(s)
- L P Pires
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e de Interação, Instituto de Biologia, MG, Brazil
| | - K Del-Claro
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e de Interação, Instituto de Biologia, MG, Brazil
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Floral visitation by the Argentine ant reduces pollinator visitation and seed set in the coast barrel cactus, Ferocactus viridescens. Oecologia 2013; 174:163-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2739-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2012] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Marazzi B, Bronstein JL, Koptur S. The diversity, ecology and evolution of extrafloral nectaries: current perspectives and future challenges. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2013; 111:1243-50. [PMID: 23704115 PMCID: PMC3662527 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mct109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plants in over one hundred families in habitats worldwide bear extrafloral nectaries (EFNs). EFNs display a remarkable diversity of evolutionary origins, as well as diverse morphology and location on the plant. They secrete extrafloral nectar, a carbohydrate-rich food that attracts ants and other arthropods, many of which protect the plant in return. By fostering ecologically important protective mutualisms, EFNs play a significant role in structuring both plant and animal communities. And yet researchers are only now beginning to appreciate their importance and the range of ecological, evolutionary and morphological diversity that EFNs exhibit. SCOPE This Highlight features a series of papers that illustrate some of the newest directions in the study of EFNs. Here, we introduce this set of papers by providing an overview of current understanding and new insights on EFN diversity, ecology and evolution. We highlight major gaps in our current knowledge, and outline future research directions. CONCLUSIONS Our understanding of the roles EFNs play in plant biology is being revolutionized with the use of new tools from developmental biology and genomics, new modes of analysis allowing hypothesis-testing in large-scale phylogenetic frameworks, and new levels of inquiry extending to community-scale interaction networks. But many central questions remain unanswered; indeed, many have not yet been asked. Thus, the EFN puzzle remains an intriguing challenge for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Marazzi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Lanan MC, Bronstein JL. An ant's-eye view of an ant-plant protection mutualism. Oecologia 2013; 172:779-90. [PMID: 23515612 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2528-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 11/02/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Ant protection of extrafloral nectar (EFN)-secreting plants is a common form of mutualism found in most habitats around the world. However, very few studies have considered these mutualisms from the ant, rather than the plant, perspective. In particular, a whole-colony perspective that takes into account the spatial structure and nest arrangement of the ant colonies that visit these plants has been lacking, obscuring when and how colony-level foraging decisions might affect tending rates on individual plants. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that recruitment of Crematogaster opuntiae (Buren) ant workers to the EFN-secreting cactus Ferocactus wislizeni (Englem) is not independent between plants up to 5 m apart. Colony territories of C. opuntiae are large, covering areas of up to 5,000 m(2), and workers visit between five and 34 EFN-secreting barrel cacti within the territories. These ants are highly polydomous, with up to 20 nest entrances dispersed throughout the territory and interconnected by trail networks. Our study demonstrates that worker recruitment is not independent within large polydomous ant colonies, highlighting the importance of considering colonies rather than individual workers as the relevant study unit within ant/plant protection mutualisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Lanan
- Arizona Research Laboratories, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Quantity and quality components of effectiveness in insular pollinator assemblages. Oecologia 2013; 173:179-90. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2606-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Jones EI, Bronstein JL, Ferrière R. The fundamental role of competition in the ecology and evolution of mutualisms. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2012; 1256:66-88. [PMID: 22583047 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06552.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mutualisms are interspecific interactions that yield reciprocal benefits. Here, by adopting a consumer-resource perspective, we show how considering competition is necessary in order to understand the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of mutualism. We first review the ways in which competition shapes the ecology of mutualisms, using a graphical framework based on resource flows rather than net effects to highlight the opportunities for competition. We then describe the known mechanisms of competition and show how it is a critical driver of the evolutionary dynamics, persistence, and diversification of mutualism. We argue that empirical and theoretical research on the ecology and evolution of mutualisms will jointly progress by addressing four key points: (i) the existence and shape of physiological trade-offs among cooperation, competition, and other life-history and functional traits; (ii) the capacity for individuals to express conditional responses to variation in their mutualistic and competitive environment; (iii) the existence of heritable variation for mutualistic and competitive traits and their potentially conditional expression; and (iv) the structure of the network of consumer-resource interactions in which individuals are embedded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily I Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA.
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36
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Geib JC, Galen C. Tracing impacts of partner abundance in facultative pollination mutualisms: from individuals to populations. Ecology 2012; 93:1581-92. [DOI: 10.1890/11-1271.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Pringle EG, Dirzo R, Gordon DM. Plant defense, herbivory, and the growth of Cordia alliodora trees and their symbiotic Azteca ant colonies. Oecologia 2012; 170:677-85. [PMID: 22562422 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2340-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2011] [Accepted: 04/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The effects of herbivory on plant fitness are integrated over a plant's lifetime, mediated by ontogenetic changes in plant defense, tolerance, and herbivore pressure. In symbiotic ant-plant mutualisms, plants provide nesting space and food for ants, and ants defend plants against herbivores. The benefit to the plant of sustaining the growth of symbiotic ant colonies depends on whether defense by the growing ant colony outpaces the plant's growth in defendable area and associated herbivore pressure. These relationships were investigated in the symbiotic mutualism between Cordia alliodora trees and Azteca pittieri ants in a Mexican tropical dry forest. As ant colonies grew, worker production remained constant relative to ant-colony size. As trees grew, leaf production increased relative to tree size. Moreover, larger trees hosted lower densities of ants, suggesting that ant-colony growth did not keep pace with tree growth. On leaves with ants experimentally excluded, herbivory per unit leaf area increased exponentially with tree size, indicating that larger trees experienced higher herbivore pressure per leaf area than smaller trees. Even with ant defense, herbivory increased with tree size. Therefore, although larger trees had larger ant colonies, ant density was lower in larger trees, and the ant colonies did not provide sufficient defense to compensate for the higher herbivore pressure in larger trees. These results suggest that in this system the tree can decrease herbivory by promoting ant-colony growth, i.e., sustaining space and food investment in ants, as long as the tree continues to grow.
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Barbu L, Guinand C, Bergmüller R, Alvarez N, Bshary R. Cleaning wrasse species vary with respect to dependency on the mutualism and behavioural adaptations in interactions. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.07.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Interaction frequency and per-interaction effects as predictors of total effects in plant-pollinator mutualisms: a case study with the self-incompatible herb Linaria lilacina. Oecologia 2011; 168:153-65. [PMID: 21789530 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2084-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2010] [Accepted: 07/08/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
It is widely recognized that pollinators vary in their effectiveness in pollination mutualisms, due both to differences in flower-pollinator morphological fit as well as pollinator behaviour. However, pollination webs typically treat all interactions as equal, and we contend that this method may provide misleading results. Using empirical and theoretical data, we present the case study of a self-incompatible herb in which the number of flowers visited by a pollinator cannot be used as a surrogate for the total effect of a pollinator on a plant due to differences in per-visit effectiveness at producing seeds. In self-incompatible species, the relationship between interaction frequency and per-interaction effect may become increasingly negative as more flowers per plant are visited due to geitonogamous pollen transfer. We found that pollinators making longer bouts (i.e. visiting more flowers per plant visit) had an overall higher pollination success per bout. However, per-interaction effects tended to decrease as the bout progressed, particularly for pollinators that cause higher pollen deposition. Since the same interaction frequency may result from different combinations of number of bouts (plant visits) and bout length (flowers visited/bout), pollinators making repeatedly shorter bouts may contribute more to plant reproduction for the same number of flowers visited. Consequently, the magnitude of the differences in number of interactions of different insect types may be overridden by the magnitude of the differences in effectiveness as pollinators, even if the same pollinators consistently interact more frequently. We discuss two predictions regarding the validity of using interaction frequency as a surrogate for plant seed production (as a measure of total effect), depending on the degree of self-compatibility, plant size and floral display. We suggest that the role of interaction frequency must be tested for different species, environments, and across wider scales to validate its use as a surrogate for total effect in plant-pollinator networks.
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Pringle EG, Dirzo R, Gordon DM. Indirect benefits of symbiotic coccoids for an ant-defended myrmecophytic tree. Ecology 2011; 92:37-46. [PMID: 21560674 DOI: 10.1890/10-0234.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The net benefits of mutualism depend directly on the costs and effectiveness of mutualistic services and indirectly on the interactions that affect those services. We examined interactions among Cordia alliodora myrmecophytic trees, their symbiotic ants Azteca pittieri, coccoid hemipterans, and foliar herbivores in two Neotropical dry forests. The tree makes two investments in symbiotic ants: it supplies nesting space, as domatia, and it provides phloem to coccoids, which then produce honeydew that is consumed by ants. Although higher densities of coccoids should have higher direct costs for trees, we asked whether higher densities of coccoids can also have higher indirect benefits for trees by increasing the effectiveness of ant defense against foliar herbivores. We found that trees benefited from ant defense against herbivores. Ants defended trees effectively only when colonies reached high densities within trees, and ant and coccoid densities within trees were strongly positively correlated. The benefits of reduced foliar herbivory by larger ant colonies were therefore indirectly controlled by the number of coccoids. Coccoid honeydew supply also affected per capita ant aggression against tree herbivores. Ants experimentally fed a carbohydrate-rich diet, analogous to sugar obtained from coccoids, were more aggressive against caterpillars per capita than ants fed a carbohydrate-poor diet. Ant defense was more effective on more valuable and vulnerable young leaves than on older leaves. Young domatia, associated with young leaves, contained higher coccoid densities than older domatia, which suggests that coccoids may also drive spatially favorable ant defense of the tree. If higher investments by one mutualistic partner are tied to higher benefits received from the other, there may be positive feedback between partners that will stabilize the mutualism. These results suggest that higher investment by trees in coccoids leads to more effective defense by ants against the tree's foliar herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G Pringle
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
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Golubski AJ, Abrams PA. Modifying modifiers: what happens when interspecific interactions interact? J Anim Ecol 2011; 80:1097-108. [PMID: 21561452 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01852.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
1. The strength of the trophic link between any given pair of species in a food web is likely to depend on the presence and/or densities of other species in the community. How these trophic interaction modifications (TIMs) interact with one another to produce a net modifying effect is an important but under-explored issue. 2. We review several specific types of TIMs that are well understood to address whether the magnitude of the net modification changes with the number of modifiers, and whether modifiers usually increase or decrease each other's effects. 3. Modifications of interactions are generally not independent. It is likely that TIMs interact antagonistically in the majority of cases; the magnitudes of TIMs decrease as more modifiers are added, or new TIMs reduce the magnitudes of modifications that are already present. 4. Individual modifications are likely to have a smaller effect in many-species systems than expected from independent combination of modifications measured in systems with relatively few species. Thus, models that lack explicit TIMs may in some cases yield adequate predictions for species-level perturbations, provided that the net effects of TIMs are implicitly included in measured interaction strengths. 5. Many types of TIMs share structural similarities. Nevertheless, a complete understanding of their effects may require theory that distinguishes different 'functional groups' of modifiers and addresses how these are structured according to trophic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J Golubski
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St., Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada.
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Lach L, Hoffmann BD. Are invasive ants better plant-defense mutualists? A comparison of foliage patrolling and herbivory in sites with invasive yellow crazy ants and native weaver ants. OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18803.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
Protective ant–plant mutualisms—where plants provide food or shelter to ants and ants protect the plants from herbivores—are a common feature in many ecological communities, but few studies have examined the effect of disturbance on these interactions. Disturbance may affect the relationship between plants and their associated ant mutualists by increasing the plants’ susceptibility to herbivores, changing the amount of reward provided for the ants, and altering the abundance of ants and other predators. Pruning was used to simulate the damage to buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erectus) caused by hurricanes. Pruned plants grew faster than unpruned plants, produced lower levels of physical anti-herbivore defenses (trichomes, toughness), and higher levels of chemical defenses (tannins) and extrafloral nectaries. Thus, simulated hurricane damage increased plant growth and the amount of reward provided to ant mutualists, but did not have consistent effects on other anti-herbivore defenses. Both herbivores and ants increased in abundance on pruned plants, indicating that the effects of simulated hurricane damage on plant traits were propagated to higher trophic levels. Ant-exclusion led to higher leaf damage on both pruned and upruned plants. The effect of ant-exclusion did not differ between pruned and unpruned plants, despite the fact that pruned plants had higher ant and herbivore densities, produced more extrafloral nectaries, and had fewer physical defenses. Another common predator, clubionid spiders, increased in abundance on pruned plants from which ants had been excluded. I suggest that compensatory predation by these spiders diminished the effect of ant-exclusion on pruned plants.
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Schupp EW, Jordano P, Gómez JM. Seed dispersal effectiveness revisited: a conceptual review. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2010; 188:333-53. [PMID: 20673283 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03402.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 516] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Growth in seed dispersal studies has been fast-paced since the seed disperser effectiveness (SDE) framework was developed 17 yr ago. Thus, the time is ripe to revisit the framework in light of accumulated new insight. Here, we first present an overview of the framework, how it has been applied, and what we know and do not know. We then introduce the SDE landscape as the two-dimensional representation of the possible combinations of the quantity and the quality of dispersal and with elevational contours representing isoclines of SDE. We discuss the structure of disperser assemblages on such landscapes. Following this we discuss recent advances and ideas in seed dispersal in the context of their impacts on SDE. Finally, we highlight a number of emerging issues that provide insight into SDE. Overall, the SDE framework successfully captures the complexities of seed dispersal. We advocate an expanded use of the term dispersal encompassing the multiple recruitment stages from fruit to adult. While this entails difficulties in estimating SDE, it is a necessary expansion if we are to understand the central relevance of seed dispersal in plant ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5230, USA.
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Trophic ecology of the invasive argentine ant: spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation and isotopic enrichment. Oecologia 2010; 164:763-71. [PMID: 20577762 PMCID: PMC2955918 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1694-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2010] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Studies of food webs often employ stable isotopic approaches to infer trophic position and interaction strength without consideration of spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation by constituent species. Using results from laboratory diet manipulations and monthly sampling of field populations, we illustrate how nitrogen isotopes may be used to quantify spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation in ants. First, we determined nitrogen enrichment using a controlled laboratory experiment with the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). After 12 weeks, worker δ(15)N values from colonies fed an animal-based diet had δ(15)N values that were 5.51% greater compared to colonies fed a plant-based diet. The shift in δ(15)N values in response to the experimental diet occurred within 10 weeks. We next reared Argentine ant colonies with or without access to honeydew-producing aphids and found that after 8 weeks workers from colonies without access to aphids had δ(15)N values that were 6.31% larger compared to colonies with access to honeydew. Second, we sampled field populations over a 1-year period to quantify spatio-temporal variability in isotopic ratios of L. humile and those of a common native ant (Solenopsis xyloni). Samples from free-living colonies revealed that fluctuations in δ(15)N were 1.6-2.4‰ for L. humile and 1.8-2.9‰ for S. xyloni. Variation was also detected among L. humile castes: time averaged means of δ(15)N varied from 1.2 to 2.5‰ depending on the site, with δ(15)N values for queens ≥ workers > brood. The estimated trophic positions of L. humile and S. xyloni were similar within a site; however, trophic position for each species differed significantly at larger spatial scales. While stable isotopes are clearly useful for examining the trophic ecology of arthropod communities, our results suggest that caution is warranted when making ecological interpretations when stable isotope collections come from single time periods or life stages.
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Morris WF, Vázquez DP, Chacoff NP. Benefit and cost curves for typical pollination mutualisms. Ecology 2010; 91:1276-85. [DOI: 10.1890/08-2278.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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47
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Experimental test of biotic resistance to an invasive herbivore provided by potential plant mutualists. Biol Invasions 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-010-9751-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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48
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Mooney KA, Mandal K. Competition hierarchies among ants and predation by birds jointly determine the strength of multi-species ant-aphid mutualisms. OIKOS 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.18163.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Heil M, Orona-Tamayo D, Eilmus S, Kautz S, González-Teuber M. Chemical communication and coevolution in an ant–plant mutualism. CHEMOECOLOGY 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-009-0036-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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50
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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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