A mutualism with a native membracid facilitates pollinator displacement by Argentine ants
A mutualism with a native membracid facilitates pollinator displacement by Argentine ants
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DOI：
10.1890/06-1767.1
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发表时间：
2007-08-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Lach, Lori
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lach, Lori
生物多样性和相关生态系统服务的丧失是外来入侵物种蔓延造成的主要威胁。入侵蚂蚁通常与地面节肢动物多样性的下降有关，但也可能通过吸引花蜜和半翅目昆虫来影响植物。Protea nitida是一种原产于南非的fynbos的树木，它拥有一种原生的成员Beaufortiana sp.，由蚂蚁照料。在这里，我比较阿根廷蚂蚁（Linepithema humile）本地蚂蚁在他们的吸引力P. nitida花序的存在和不存在的membracid，和他们对其他花节肢动物游客，种子集，胚珠捕食的影响。阿根廷蚂蚁发现的花序增加了至少13倍时，membracids存在的分支，而本地蚂蚁发现的花序只有一倍membracids存在于一个网站在一个研究年，并没有受到影响，在其他三个网站年。排除阿根廷蚂蚁从花序导致在几个节肢动物类群和潜在的传粉者的增加，本地蚂蚁排斥没有积极的影响。因此，阿根廷蚂蚁和膜之间的互惠关系有助于蚂蚁对传粉者的威慑。虽然阿根廷蚂蚁与P. nitida种子集或胚珠捕食的下降无关，但通才昆虫传粉者的下降可能对83%的昆虫传粉的fynbos植物产生影响。陷阱陷阱表明，阿根廷蚂蚁并不比本地蚂蚁在非入侵网站丰富。只关注地面上的数量和地面节肢动物群的迁移可能会导致低估入侵蚂蚁对其所采用社区的影响。
The loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services are major threats posed by the spread of alien invasive species. Invasive ants are frequently associated with declines in the diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods but also may affect plants through their attraction to floral nectar and tending of hemipterans. Protea nitida is a tree native to the South African fynbos that hosts a native membracid, Beaufortiana sp., which is tended by ants. Here I compare Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) to native ants in their attraction to P. nitida inflorescences in the presence and absence of the membracid, and their effects on other floral arthropod visitors, seed set, and ovule predation. Argentine ant discovery of inflorescences increased at least 13-fold when membracids were present on the branch, whereas native ant discovery of inflorescences was only doubled by membracid presence at one site in one study year and was unaffected in the other three site-years. Excluding Argentine ants from inflorescences resulted in an increase in several arthropod taxa and potential pollinators; native ant exclusion had no positive effects. Thus the mutualism between Argentine ants and the membracid is facilitating pollinator deterrence by the ants. Though Argentine ants were not associated with a decline in P. nitida seed set or ovule predation, declines in generalist insect pollinators may have ramifications for the 83% of fynbos' plants that are insect pollinated. Pitfall traps showed that Argentine ants were not more abundant than native ants in non-invaded sites. Focusing only on abundance on the ground and displacement of ground-dwelling arthropod fauna may lead to an underestimate of the effects of invasive ants on their adopted communities.