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Published on: November 25, 2016
Ant aggression and evolutionary stability in plant-ant and plant-pollinator mutualistic interactions
1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. leonardo_bubach@eva.mpg.de
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|December 24, 2010
Summary
Plant-ant mutualisms can lead to conflict, as ants may attack pollinators. Our model shows facultative interactions increase pollinator extinction risk, influencing the evolution of ant behavior in plant-pollinator systems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Mathematical Modeling
Background:
- Mutualistic relationships, like those between plants and ants, involve reciprocal benefits but can incur costs.
- Plant-ant mutualisms, particularly ant-myrmecophyte associations, often involve plants providing resources/shelter for ant protection against herbivores.
- A conflict arises when ants attack pollinators, jeopardizing plant reproduction, due to misaligned fitness interests (growth vs. reproduction).
Purpose of the Study:
- To mathematically model the conflict between plant-ant mutualism and plant-pollinator interactions.
- To determine the threshold of ant aggressiveness that influences pollinator survival or extinction.
- To explore the evolutionary implications for ant behavior, specifically pollinator discrimination.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical model to simulate plant-ant-pollinator interactions.
- Analysis of the relationship between ant aggressiveness and pollinator survival.
- Comparison of facultative versus obligatory mutualistic interaction outcomes.
Main Results:
- A critical threshold in ant aggressiveness was identified, dictating pollinator fate.
- Facultative plant-ant interactions lead to pollinator extinction at lower levels of ant aggressiveness compared to obligatory interactions.
- Ants are unlikely to evolve pollinator discrimination unless plants have limited dispersal or ants gain additional benefits from pollination.
Conclusions:
- Ant aggressiveness in mutualistic relationships poses a significant threat to plant reproduction via pollinator elimination.
- The type of mutualism (facultative vs. obligatory) influences the risk of pollinator extinction.
- Evolutionary pressures for ants to discriminate pollinators are context-dependent, linked to plant dispersal and potential ancillary benefits for ants.
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