Indirect Interactions Between Ant-Tended Hemipterans, a Dominant Ant Azteca instabilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and Shade Trees in a Tropical Agroecosystem

• Published in: Environmental entomology 2008-06, Vol.37 (3), p.734-740
• Main Authors: Livingston, George F., White, Adam M., Kratz, Carley J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alchornea latifolia; Azteca; Coccus viridis; Coffea arabica; Formicidae; Hymenoptera; Inga
• ISSN: 0046-225X; 0046-225X
• DOI: 10.1603/0046-225X(2008)37[734:IIBAHA]2.0.CO;2

The occurrence, intensity, and composition of mutualisms are dependent not only on the co-occurrence of mutualists, but also the broader biotic context in which they are embedded. Here, the influence of the specific nest tree identity of the ant Azteca instabilis (F. Smith) on the density of the green coffee scale (Coccus viridis Green) was studied in a coffee agroecosystem in southern Mexico. The hypothesis that an indirect competitive interaction for ant attendance occurs between a scale species (Octolecanium sp. Kondo) in the canopy of the shade tree Inga micheliana Harms and C. viridis, which inhabits coffee bushes (Coffea arabica) beneath the shade trees was tested. Coffee bushes beneath a different shade tree species (Alchornea latifolia Swartz) were used as an indication of C. viridis density in a noncompetitive environment. Results indicate that C. viridis occurs in significantly lower density adjacent to nests in Inga, supporting the hypothesis of indirect competition. Additional experimentation suggests that there is a mutualism between Azteca and Octolecanium and that this interaction may be mediated by a hierarchy in ant attendance of scale insects. Our results show the importance of considering the biotic context of ant-hemipteran mutualisms. In coffee agroecosystems, consideration of shade tree diversity and species composition may be directly applicable to the biological control of insect pests.