The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-plant Interactions

by Rico-Gray, Victor

• ISBN13: 9780226713489
• ISBN10: 0226713482
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Ants are probably the most dominant insect group on Earth, representing ten to fifteen percent of animal biomass in terrestrial ecosystems. Flowering plants, meanwhile, owe their evolutionary success to an array of interspecific interactionssuch as pollination, seed dispersal, and herbivorythat have helped to shape their great diversity.The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-Plant Interactionsbrings together findings from the scientific literature on the coevolution of ants and plants to provide a better understanding of the unparalleled success of these two remarkable groups, of interspecific interactions in general, and ultimately of terrestrial biological communities. The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-Plant Interactionssynthesizes the dynamics of ant-plant interactions, including the sources of variation in their outcomes. Victor Rico-Gray and Paulo S. Oliveira capture both the emerging appreciation of the importance of these interactions within ecosystems and the developing approaches that place studies of these interactions into a broader ecological and evolutionary context. The collaboration of two internationally renowned scientists,The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-Plant Interactionswill become a standard reference for understanding the complex interactions between these two taxa.

Author Biography

Victor Rico-Gray is a research scientist of ecology and Chairman of the Applied Ecology Department at the Instituto de Ecologia, A. C. in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Paulo S. Oliveira is professor of ecology at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Ant-Plant Interactions	p. 1
The Origin and Early Evolution of Ant-Plant Associations
Phylogenetic Associations
A Brief History of the Associations
Coevolution and Interspecific Interactions
Antagonistic Interactions: Leaf-Cutting and Seed-Harvesting Ants	p. 21
Leaf-Cutting Ants (Grazing)
Seed-Harvesting Ants (Predation)
Mutualism from Antagonism: Ants as Primary Seed-Dispersers	p. 42
The Reward: Elaiosomes
Seed Dispersal by Ants
Myrmecochory: Distribution and Significance Worldwide
Conclusion
Myrmecochory in Eastern North America, Japan, and Europe
Myrmecochory in Australia and South Africa
Myrmecochory in the Neotropics
Mutualism from Opportunism: Ants as Secondary Seed-Dispersers	p. 68
The Reward: Fallen Fleshy Diaspores
Diaspore Attributes and Patterns of Ant Attendance
Ant Effects on Seeds and Seedlings
Directed Dispersal of Seeds by Ponerine Ants
Prospect
Mutualism from Antagonism: Ants and Flowers	p. 85
Pollination by Ants
Discouragement of Floral Visits by Ants
Plant Species in Which Ant Pollination Has Been Demonstrated
Antagonism and Mutualism: Direct Interactions	p. 99
The Pseudomyrmex-Acacia Association
Ants, Plants, and Food Bodies
Ant-Inhabited Plants Offering No Direct Food Rewards
Ants, Plants, and Extrafloral Nectaries
Plant Defensive Strategies and Induced Responses
The Nature of the Associations and the Importance of Conditionality
Topics for Future Consideration
Flowering Plants That Maintain a Nonsymbiotic Relationship with Ants
Antagonism and Mutualism: Indirect Interactions	p. 142
Ants, Plants, and Hemipterans
Variable Outcomes in Ant-Hemipteran Systems
The Effect of Ant-Hemiptera Interactions on Host Plants
Ant-Hemiptera Associations and the Evolution of Extrafloral Nectaries
Nutrition of Plants by Ant Mutualists: Life History of Ant-Fed Plants and Ant-Garden Systems	p. 163
Ant-Fed Plants
Ant Gardens
Conclusion
Ant-Fed Plants That Absorb Nutrients from Ant Debris
Canopy-Dwelling Ants, Plant and Insect Exudates, and Ant Mosaics	p. 177
Canopy Ants: Main Features and Trophic Role
The Competitive Environment
Ant Mosaics
Plant and Insect Exudates and Ant Community Structure
The Effect of Trophobiont Tenders on Associated Herbivores and on the Host Plant
Variation in Ant-Plant Interactions	p. 193
Temporal Variation
Spatial Variation
Plants with Extrafloral Nectaries
Ant Species Using Plant-Derived Food Resources
Ant-Plant Interactions in Agriculture	p. 215
Agricultural Systems, Herbivores, and Ants
Ants as Biological Control Agents
Case Studies
Biological Control and Interspecific Interactions
Overview and Perspectives	p. 231
Literature Cited	p. 253
Index	p. 313
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