Highly modular pattern in ant-plant interactions involving specialized and non-specialized myrmecophytes
Alain Dejean1,2, Frédéric Azémar3, Frédéric Petitclerc4
1UPS-ECOLAB, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France. alain.dejean@wanadoo.fr.
Die Naturwissenschaften
|June 29, 2018
Summary
Tachia guianensis, a non-specialized myrmecophyte, did not alter ant communities associated with specialized myrmecophytes in a neotropical rainforest. Its interactions were weak, maintaining distinct ant modules and not influencing specialized plant parasitism.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Tropical Biology
- Myrmecology
Background:
- Myrmecophytes, plants hosting ant colonies, exhibit specialized or non-specialized associations.
- Tachia guianensis is a non-specialized myrmecophyte associated with numerous ant species.
- Specialized myrmecophytes shelter a limited number of ant species in specific structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the presence of Tachia guianensis influences ant guilds associated with sympatric specialized myrmecophytes.
- To analyze the interaction network between T. guianensis, specialized myrmecophytes, and their associated ant communities.
Main Methods:
- Field study conducted in a neotropical rainforest across different topographical zones (slope bottom, mid-slope, hilltop).
- Network analysis to map and quantify interactions between T. guianensis, four specialized myrmecophyte species, and their ant associates.
- Assessment of ant species composition and parasitism patterns on specialized myrmecophytes.
Main Results:
- Tachia guianensis maintained its own distinct ant guild, separate from those of the specialized myrmecophytes.
- Network analysis revealed rare and weak interactions between T. guianensis and specialized myrmecophytes, forming a modular interaction pattern.
- Parasitism by three ant species on specialized myrmecophytes was not significantly affected by the presence of T. guianensis.
Conclusions:
- Tachia guianensis does not disrupt or alter the ant communities or ecological interactions of co-occurring specialized myrmecophytes.
- The plant-ant interactions in this neotropical rainforest ecosystem exhibit high modularity, with distinct modules for each myrmecophyte type.
- Non-specialized myrmecophytes like T. guianensis can coexist with specialized myrmecophytes without significantly impacting their associated ant guilds or ecological dynamics.
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