The two-partner ant-plant system of Camponotus (Colobopsis) sp 1 and Macaranga puncticulata (Euphorbiaceae): natural history of the exceptional ant partner
The two-partner ant-plant system of Camponotus (Colobopsis) sp 1 and Macaranga puncticulata (Euphorbiaceae): natural history of the exceptional ant partner
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DOI：
10.1007/s000400050064
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发表时间：
1998-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
1.3
通讯作者：
Fiala, B
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Federle, W;Maschwitz, U;Fiala, B
在东南亚的热带泥炭沼泽森林中，蚂蚁植物Macaranga puncticulata与Camponotus（Colobopsis）sp.1（蚁科：蚁科）有特定关系，Camponotus（Colobopsis）sp.1是C.桑德尔西群这种蚂蚁对它的植物生活方式表现出多种适应性。女王们有能力找到年轻的M。puncticulata植物在森林和咀嚼入口洞进入domatia自己。C.（Colobopsis）sp.1的巢只在M.具斑点的。饮食主要由寄主植物资源（食物机构和花外花蜜），但昆虫猎物也采取。与Macaranga的所有其他专性蚁类相比较，C.（Colobopsis）sp.1从未栽培过任何介壳虫。然而，照料同翅目昆虫（“营养共生”）确实是蚂蚁的行为之一，但蚂蚁只有在寄主植物完全没有花外蜜腺的实验中才表现出这种能力。大C（Colobopsis）sp.1菌落是多室的，并且可以延伸超过20 M。具点纹的树木在殖民地发育的几个阶段中，种内对寄主植物存在着强烈的竞争。我们观察到，试图在同一株幼苗上找到殖民地的蚁后之间发生了明显的推挤战斗。C.（Colobopsis）sp.1工人能够从被淹没的domatium室中去除水。他们很快聚集在M的新伤口周围。具斑点的。草食性昆虫受到猛烈攻击，要么被赶出植物，要么被捕获作为猎物。此外，工人们经常修剪与宿主树木接触的葡萄藤。我们可以证明C.（Colobopsis）sp.1对M. puncticulata，因为蚂蚁有效地减少了食草动物和植物的竞争。
In the tropical peat swamp forests of South-East Asia, the ant-plant Macaranga puncticulata is specifically associated with Camponotus (Colobopsis) sp.1 (Formicidae: Formicinae), a member of the C. saundersi-group. This ant shows a variety of adaptations to its plant-bound mode of life. The queens are capable of locating young M. puncticulata plants inside the forest and of chewing entrance holes into the domatia by themselves. C. (Colobopsis) sp.1 nests were found exclusively inside the domatia of M. puncticulata. The diet consisted predominantly of host plant resources (food bodies and extrafloral nectar), but insect prey were taken too. In contrast to all the other obligate ant associates of Macaranga, C. (Colobopsis) sp.1 never cultivated any scale insects. Nevertheless, tending Homoptera ("trophobiosis") is indeed included in the behavioral repertoire, but the ants showed this capacity only in experiments in which the host plants had been completely deprived of extrafloral nectaries. Large C. (Colobopsis) sp.1 colonies are polydomous and can extend over up to 20 M. puncticulata trees. There is strong intraspecific competition for host plants during several stages of the colony development. We observed conspicuous pushing fights between queens that tried to found colonies on the same young plant. C. (Colobopsis) sp.1 workers were capable of removing water from flooded domatium chambers. They quickly gathered around fresh injuries to M. puncticulata. Herbivorous insects were fiercely attacked and either driven away from the plant or captured as prey. Moreover, workers often pruned vines that came into contact with their host trees. We could show that colonization by C. (Colobopsis) sp.1 is beneficial for M. puncticulata, since the ants effectively reduced herbivory and plant competition.