Mutualism between Macaranga plants ＆ ants in Southeast Asia

血桐属植物在东南亚热带地区是物种多样性的分布中心，已知的多粘菌植物种类较多。它们与各自特定的蚂蚁植物物种共生，并依赖它们进行反草食动物防御。本研究首先通过蚂蚁排斥实验和蚂蚁攻击性的测定，研究了不同种间蚂蚁防御强度的差异，并分析了不同种间蚂蚁防御强度的差异。其次，我们确定了种间变化的强度非蚂蚁，即物理和化学，防御生物测定使用多食性鳞翅目昆虫。比较蚂蚁和非蚂蚁的防御强度之间的血桐属物种，它表明，强度呈负相关，蚂蚁和非蚂蚁防御之间的平衡不同的血桐属物种。多边环境协定 ...更多信息 食物体产量测定和化学分析表明，蚂蚁防御强度的种间差异受食物体产量和含氮量的影响。蚂蚁和非蚂蚁防御之间的平衡随着年龄的增长而沿着变化。利用多食性鳞翅目昆虫进行的生物测定表明，在蚂蚁定殖之前，非蚂蚁防御系统的平衡偏向于蚂蚁防御系统，而在蚂蚁定殖之后，蚂蚁防御系统的平衡偏向于蚂蚁防御系统。野外调查和人工模拟实验表明，通过分散蚁后进行巢植选择，以及蚂蚁和植物双方对资源的需求与供给相匹配，对蚂蚁和植物之间高度种特异性的伙伴关系的产生和维持起着重要作用。我们对植物表面提取物的化学分析和生物测定表明，创始蚁后使用非挥发性碳水化合物来识别血桐植物物种。植物-蚂蚁物种交换实验表明，“不匹配”的物种组合要么因食物不足而抑制蚁群的生长，要么因蚂蚁攻击性相对较弱而破坏互惠关系。这反映在蚂蚁和非蚂蚁防御之间的平衡的变化，影响了食草动物群落的多样性或周围的血桐myrmecophytism。少

In the plant genus, Macaranga, which has the distribution center with diversified species in Southeast Asian tropics, many myrmecophytic species are known. They have symbiosis with their respectively specific ant-plant species and depend on them for anti-herbivore defense. Macaranga myrmecophytes provide their symbiont plant-ants with food, in turn, the ants protect the plants from herbivores and competitor plants.In this study, first, we determined the interspecific variation in intensity of ant defenses among Macaranga myrmecophyte species by ant-exclusion experiments and measurements of ant aggressiveness. Second, we determined the interspecific variation in intensity of non-ant, i.e. physical and chemical, defenses by bioassays using polyphagous lepidopterans. Comparing intensities of ant and non-ant defenses among Macaranga species, it was shown that the intensities inversely correlated, and that the balance between ant and non-ant defenses differ among Macaranga species. The meas … More urement of food body production and chemical analysis revealed that interspecific variation in ant defense intensity are affected by the production and nitrogen contents of food bodies. The balance between ant and non-ant defenses change along with aging. The bioassay using polyphagous lepidopteran suggested that the balance is biased for non-ant defenses before ant colonization but biased for ant defenses after ant colonize the plant.Partnership between Macaranga myrmecophytes and Crematogaster plant-ants are highly species-specific. Field survey and manipulative experiments showed that nest-plant selection by dispersing foundress queens of plant-ant and matching between demand and supply for resource at both sides of plant and ant take important roles in generating and maintaining the high species-specificity in the partnership. Our chemical analysis and bioassays with extract of plant surface revealed that non-volatile carbon-hydrates are used by foundress ant queens for recognition of Macaranga plant species. Experimental exchange of plant-ant species showed that 'unmatched' species combination cause either inhibition of ant colony growth due to deficiency of food or relatively weak ant aggressiveness, both of which result in corruption of mutualistic relations.Relatively long-term demographic study on Macaranga myrmecophytes have shown that interspecific variation in anti-herbivore defenses, which are reflected in the variation in the balance between ant and non-ant defenses, affect the diversity in the herbivore community on or around Macaranga myrmecophytism. Less