Ant visitation to extrafloral nectaries decreases herbivory and increases fruit set in Chamaecrista debilis (Fabaceae) in a Neotropical savanna

Studies of ant–plant relationships elucidate how top-down effects of the third trophic level can affect the biomass, richness, and/or species composition of plants. Although widespread in the neotropics, few studies have so far examined the direct effects of ants on plant fitness. Here, through expe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Flora. Morphologie, Geobotanik, Oekophysiologie Geobotanik, Oekophysiologie, 2010-11, Vol.205 (11), p.754-756
Main Authors: do Nascimento, Elynton Alves, Del-Claro, Kleber
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomass
Caesalpinioidea
Cerrado
Chamaecrista
Fabaceae
Formicidae
fruit set
herbivores
leaves
Mutualism
nectaries
plant-insect relations
plants
Plant–animal interaction
savannas
species diversity
tropics
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Summary:Studies of ant–plant relationships elucidate how top-down effects of the third trophic level can affect the biomass, richness, and/or species composition of plants. Although widespread in the neotropics, few studies have so far examined the direct effects of ants on plant fitness. Here, through experimental manipulation (ant-exclusion) under natural conditions, we examined the effect of ant visitation to extrafloral nectaries on leaf herbivory and fruit set in Chamaecrista debilis in the Brazilian savanna. As opposed to other Chamaecrista species, our results showed that visiting ants (15 species) significantly reduce herbivory and increase fruit set by more than 50% compared to plants from which ants were excluded. This mutualistic system is facultative in nature, and corroborates the potential beneficial role of exudate-feeding ants as anti-herbivore agents of tropical plants.
ISSN:0367-2530
1618-0585
DOI:10.1016/j.flora.2009.12.040