Ants monopolise plant resources by shelter-construction

Eskildsen, Louise I.; Lindberg, Annika; Olesen, Jens M.

doi:10.1590/1809-43922001311157

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

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“…It has been documented that ants of the genus Crematogaster present monopolistic behaviour (i.e. aggressive defence of its resources; Eskildsen et al 2001 ). In the lava-flow tropical dry forest subunit, C. curvispinosa is the most abundant ant species but is absent from the limestone-rock tropical dry forest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of seed removal by ants on the host-epiphyte associations in a tropical dry forest of central Mexico

et al. 2018

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Seed depredation is recognized as a determining factor in plant community structure and composition. Ants are primary consumers of seeds influencing abundance of epiphytes on trees. This study was conducted in two subunits of a tropical dry forest established on different soil substrates in San Andrés de la Cal, Tepoztlán, in Morelos, Mexico, and experimentally tested whether seed removal activity is higher in tree species with smaller epiphyte loads compared to those with greater epiphyte loads. Five trees were selected at random from six species of trees with high (preferred hosts) or low (limiting hosts) epiphyte loads. Seed removal differed among hosts and different soil substrates in the forest. On relating seed removal to the abundance of arboreal ants, the most consistent pattern was that lower seed removal was related to lower ant abundance, while high seed removal was associated with intermediate to high ant abundance. Epiphyte seed removal by ants influences epiphyte abundance and can contribute considerably to a failure to establish, since it diminishes the quantity of seeds available for germination and establishment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%