Bracken Fern (Pteridium Aquilinum) and Nectra‐Feeding Ants: A Nonmutualistic Interaction
Bracken Fern (Pteridium Aquilinum) and Nectra‐Feeding Ants: A Nonmutualistic Interaction
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蕨类植物 (Pteridium Aquilinum) 和 Nectra 喂养蚂蚁：非互惠互利的相互作用
DOI：
10.2307/1937495
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发表时间：
1983
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Alice S. Tempel
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Alice S. Tempel
一种假说认为，蚂蚁被蕨类植物（Pteridium aquilinuin Kuhn）叶蜜分泌的花蜜所吸引，可以保护叶子免受食草动物的伤害，这一假说在新泽西的三个种群中得到了实验验证。对照蕨类植物和排除蚂蚁的蕨类植物遭受食草动物伤害的数量没有差异。糖分泌率最高的是在叶片开始扩大之前，蚂蚁活动在这个发育阶段的叶片上最高。果实成熟后，糖分泌和蚂蚁活性均下降至较低水平。尽管叶片的糖分泌有相当大的差异，但种群的糖产量和蚂蚁活动在夏季的大部分时间里保持不变。因此，花蜜分泌的发育和季节模式符合蕨类植物和蚂蚁相互作用的预测，但没有证据表明蕨类植物实际上从蚂蚁来访者那里获得了任何好处。
The hypothesis that ants attracted to the nectar secreted by bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinuin Kuhn) foliar nectaries protect the frond from herbivore damage was tested experimentally in three New Jersey populations. There was no difference in the amount of herbivore damage ex- perienced by control ferns and those from which ants were excluded. Sugar secretion rates were highest in fiddleheads just prior to the start of frond enlargement, and ant activity was highest on fronds in this developmental stage. Both sugar secretion and ant activity decreased during frond enlargement to low levels at maturity. Despite considerable variability among fronds in sugar secre- tion, population sugar production and ant activity remained constant through most of the summer. The developmental and seasonal patterns of nectar secretion therefore fit those that would be pre- dicted if bracken and ants were engaged in a mutualistic interaction, but there is no evidence that the ferns in fact derive any benefit from their ant visitors.