Dejean A., Petitclerc F., Roux Olivier, Orivel J., Leroy C. (2012). Does exogenic food benefit both partners in an ant-plant mutualism ? The case of Cecropia obtusa and its guest Azteca plant-ants. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 335 (3), p. 214-219. ISSN 1631-0691.
Titre du document
Does exogenic food benefit both partners in an ant-plant mutualism ? The case of Cecropia obtusa and its guest Azteca plant-ants
Dejean A., Petitclerc F., Roux Olivier, Orivel J., Leroy C.
Source
Comptes Rendus Biologies, 2012,
335 (3), p. 214-219 ISSN 1631-0691
In the mutualisms involving the myrmecophyte Cecropia obtusa and Azteca ovaticeps or A. alfari, both predatory, the ants defend their host trees from enemies and provide them with nutrients (myrmecotrophy). A. ovaticeps provisioned with prey and then N-15-enriched food produced more individuals than did control colonies (not artificially provisioned). This was not true for A. alfari colonies, possibly due to differences in the degree of maturity of the colonies for the chosen range of host tree sizes (less than 3 m in height). Myrmecotrophy was demonstrated for both Azteca species as provisioning the ants with N-15-enriched food translated into higher delta N-15 values in host plant tissues, indicating that nitrogen passed from the food to the plant. Thus, the predatory activity of their guest ants benefits the Cecropia trees not only because the ants protect them from defoliators since most prey are phytophagous insects but also because the plant absorbs nutrients.
Plan de classement
Biologie du sol [074]
;
Sciences du monde animal [080]
