Interhabitat differences in ant activity on plant foliage: ants at extrafloral nectaries of Hibiscus pernambucensis in sandy and mangrove forests
Interhabitat differences in ant activity on plant foliage: ants at extrafloral nectaries of Hibiscus pernambucensis in sandy and mangrove forests
复制标题
植物叶子上蚂蚁活动的生境差异：沙地和红树林中芙蓉花外蜜腺的蚂蚁
DOI：
10.1046/j.1570-7458.2003.00046.x
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发表时间：
2003
影响因子：
1.9
通讯作者：
P. Oliveira
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
R. Cogni;A. Freitas;P. Oliveira
摘要在两种不同的沿海生境--永久干燥的桑迪林和经常被淹没的红树林中，研究了来访蚂蚁与花外蜜腺（EFN）承载灌木木槿（锦葵科）之间的关系。在两种生境中，有蚂蚁的植株频率和平均每株蚂蚁数量都比H.比不产蜜汁的邻近植物上的蜜汁含量高。在桑迪森林中，H. pernambucensis比缺乏EFN的植物高得多。然而，在红树林中，蚂蚁攻击两种植物上相同数量的白蚁。蚂蚁对金枪鱼/蜂蜜诱饵的关注表明，桑迪森林中的蚂蚁总体活动高于红树林地区。蚂蚁活动的垂直分布（地面与树叶）也因栖息地而异。而在红树林觅食蚂蚁更频繁的诱饵放在树叶上，在桑迪森林蚂蚁出席率较高的地面诱饵。蚂蚁聚居的植物在红树林中比在桑迪森林中更常见。红树林经常水浸，可能导致植被上的蚁巢数目增加，以及蚂蚁活动分散在植物叶子上，而不论是否有EFNs。因此，在红树林中具有EFN的植物相对于缺乏EFN的植物可能不会经历增加的蚂蚁对潜在食草动物的侵略。该研究表明，蚂蚁活动的垂直分布，通过空间尺度与不同的巢址分布（地面与树叶）相关，可以介导蚂蚁在植物树叶上的觅食模式，并可能影响蚂蚁对EFN植物物种的食草动物威慑潜力。
Abstract The association between visiting ants and the extrafloral nectaries (EFN)‐bearing shrub Hibiscus pernambucensis Arruda (Malvaceae) was investigated in two different coastal habitats – a permanently dry sandy forest and a regularly inundated mangrove forest. In both habitats the frequency of plants with ants and the mean number of ants per plant were much higher on H. pernambucensis than on non‐nectariferous neighbouring plants. In the sandy forest the proportion of live termite baits attacked by ants on H. pernambucensis was much higher than on plants lacking EFNs. In the mangrove, however, ants attacked equal numbers of termites on either plant class. Ant attendance to tuna/honey baits revealed that overall ant activity in the sandy forest is higher than in the mangrove area. The vertical distribution (ground vs. foliage) of ant activity also differed between habitats. While in the mangrove foraging ants were more frequent at baits placed on foliage, in the sandy forest ant attendance was higher at ground baits. Plants housing ant colonies were more common in the mangrove than in the sandy forest. Frequent flooding in the mangrove may have resulted in increased numbers of ant nests on vegetation and scattered ant activity across plant foliage, irrespective of possession of EFNs. Thus plants with EFNs in the mangrove may not experience increased ant aggression towards potential herbivores relative to plants lacking EFNs. The study suggests that the vertical distribution of ant activity, as related to different nest site distribution (ground vs. foliage) through a spatial scale, can mediate ant foraging patterns on plant foliage and probably affect the ants’ potential for herbivore deterrence on an EFN‐bearing plant species.