@article{fdi:010055799,
  title = {{D}oes exogenic food benefit both partners in an ant-plant mutualism ? {T}he case of {C}ecropia obtusa and its guest {A}zteca plant-ants},
  author = {{D}ejean, {A}. and {P}etitclerc, {F}. and {R}oux, {O}livier and {O}rivel, {J}. and {L}eroy, {C}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}n the mutualisms involving the myrmecophyte {C}ecropia obtusa and {A}zteca 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). {T}his 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). {M}yrmecotrophy was demonstrated for both {A}zteca 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. {T}hus, the predatory activity of their guest ants benefits the {C}ecropia trees not only because the ants protect them from defoliators since most prey are phytophagous insects but also because the plant absorbs nutrients.},
  keywords = {{A}zteca ; {M}utualismes plantes-fourmis ; {C}ecropia obtusa ; {I}sotopes stables ; {M}yrmecotrophie},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{C}omptes {R}endus {B}iologies},
  volume = {335},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {214--219},
  ISSN = {1631-0691},
  year = {2012},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.crvi.2012.01.002},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010055799},
}