Evidence of indirect biotic resistance: native ants decrease invasive plant fitness by enhancing aphid infestation

Devegili, Andrés M.; Lescano, María Natalia; Gianoli, Ernesto; Farji‐Brener, Alejandro G.

doi:10.1007/s00442-021-04874-2

Cited by 1 publication

(5 citation statements)

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Section: Indirect Interactions Involving Ants We Are Much More Than Twomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Patagonian steppe of Argentina, aphidtending ants modulate top-down trophic cascades by attacking aphid predators and enhancing aphid infestation, with negative consequences for plant fitness (Chalcoff et al 2019;Devegili et al 2021). They may also have positive indirect effects on plant fitness by preying on hemipteran or on other non-hemipteran herbivores (Devegili et al 2021). Conversely, in the Monte desert in northwestern Argentina, hemipteran tending-ants do not affect the abundance of non-hemipteran herbivores and have no effects on plant fitness (Aranda-Rickert et al 2017a).…”

Section: Indirect Interactions Involving Ants We Are Much More Than Twomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All these studies indicate that ants can play an important role in structuring terrestrial communities through indirect facilitation and exploitative competition. Cascadas tróficas de arriba hacia abajo medidas por hormigas que cuidan áfidos (Devegili et al 2021); cascadas tróficas de abajo hacia arriba determinadas por los basureros de las hormigas cortadoras de hojas (Lescano et al 2012). b) Facilitación indirecta ocasionada por los basureros de las hormigas cortadoras de hojas a través del relajamiento de la competencia entre plantas por los nutrientes del suelo (Farji-Brener and Lescano 2017).…”

Section: ₆₀₈ Ag F��-b�� unclassified

“…Within the 100 most invasive species on the planet, five are ants (Lowe et al 2000), which impact on natural ecosystems by reducing native ant diversity, displacing other arthropods, negatively affecting vertebrate populations and disrupting ant-plant mutualisms (Lach and Hooper-Bui 2010). On the other hand, native ants can establish direct and/or indirect interactions with exotic species modulating their potential invasive success (Alba-Lynn and Henk 2010; Devegili et al 2021). In Argentina, researchers have used ants as models to address invasion ecology questions related to 1) behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and 2) the role of native ants on the biotic resistance and mutualism facilitation hypotheses.…”

Section: Ants and Biological Invasions Both Sides Of The Storymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The biotic resistance of native seed-harvesting ants may thus depend on species identities and habitat type. In the Patagonian steppe, a native aphidtending ant, Dorymyrmex tener, decreases exotic thistle fitness by protecting aphids against their predators and increasing aphid infestation and damage (Chalcoff et al 2019;Devegili et al 2020Devegili et al , 2021. Therefore, through positive effects on aphid populations, native aphid-tending ants may trigger indirect biotic resistance toward exotic plants.…”

Section: ₆₁₀ Ag F��-b�� mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Act locally, think globally: Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory

et al. 2022

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A��.Building and testing general principles is key to accelerate scientific progress. Here, we review the studies performed in Argentina in which ants were used as model organisms, in the context of ecological theories, hypotheses and concepts. Specifically, we focus on ant studies performed under the conceptual frameworks of ecological engineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, community assembly rules, biological invasions and integrated pest management. Those studies contributed to 1) supporting the concept of ecological engineers through the study of the physical changes in the environment caused by ants through the building and maintenance of their nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soil biota, plants and herbivores; 2) questioning the convergence hypothesis, which proposes that independently assembled communities in similar, but geographically distant habitats converge in composition and functioning under similar environmental pressures; 3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process to increase plant performance in desert ecosystems; 4) understanding the type of control which prevails in communities (top-down or bo�om-up); 5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions in the structure and functioning of ecosystems with examples of trophic cascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition and trait-mediated effects; 6) a be�er understanding of the causes of success or failure of biological invasions, via the study of the behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and the role of biotic resistance and mutualism facilitation; and 7) exploring the concept of integrated pest management via the study of the use of natural enemies, repellents and a�ractants, and the knowledge about the feeding and foraging behavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of ants as model organisms to test ecological hypotheses and highlights the importance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to be�er understand the complexity of natural systems.

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Section: Indirect Interactions Involving Ants We Are Much More Than Twomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Indirect Interactions Involving Ants We Are Much More Than Twomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ₆₀₈ Ag F��-b�� unclassified

Section: Ants and Biological Invasions Both Sides Of The Storymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ₆₁₀ Ag F��-b�� mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Act locally, think globally: Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Evidence of indirect biotic resistance: native ants decrease invasive plant fitness by enhancing aphid infestation

Cited by 1 publication

References 68 publications

Act locally, think globally: Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory

Act locally, think globally: Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory

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