Geographic variations in Helleborus foetidus elaiosome lipid composition: implications for dispersal by ants

Boulay, Raphaël; Coll-Toledano, J.; Cerdá, Xím

doi:10.1007/s00049-005-0322-8

Cited by 43 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…Palmitic, palmitoleic and oleic acid were signiWcantly higher in elaiosomes, the oleic acid content showing particularly striking diVerences, being on average 2.6 times higher in elaiosomes than in seeds of the species investigated. High oleic acid content is typical for most elaiosomes investigated so far (Soukup and Holman 1987;Lanza et al 1992;Hughes et al 1994;Gammans et al 2005;Boulay et al 2006). In only a few species is the oleic acid content reported to be more or less equal in seeds and elaiosomes (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Chemical differences between seeds and elaiosomes indicate an adaptation to nutritional needs of ants

et al. 2007

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Ant-dispersed plants usually produce seeds with appendages (elaiosomes) as reward for ants. Plants that produce high-quality elaiosomes benefit because ants preferentially disperse their diaspores. We therefore hypothesized that seeds and elaiosomes differ in chemical composition in ways that make elaiosomes of high nutritional quality for ants, capable of providing essential dietary components that explain the increased fitness and higher gyne production documented for colonies with elaiosome consumption. To test the hypothesis we analysed the content and composition of lipids, amino acids, soluble carbohydrates, proteins and starch in seeds and elaiosomes of 15 central European ant-dispersed plants. After separating the different fractions, total lipids were determined gravimetrically, fatty acids and soluble carbohydrates were detected by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry, free amino acids by an amino acid analyser while starch and protein were analysed photometrically. Seeds accumulated high molecular weight compounds such as proteins and starch, whereas elaiosomes accumulated more easily digestible low molecular weight compounds such as amino acids and monosaccharides. Analysis of similarities and similarity percentages analysis demonstrated that the composition of fatty acids, free amino acids and carbohydrates differed markedly between elaiosomes and seeds. The most important difference was in total amino acid content, which was on average 7.5 times higher in elaiosomes than in seeds. The difference was especially marked for the nitrogen-rich amino acid histidine. The availability of essential nutrients and, in some species, the higher nitrogen content in elaiosomes suggest that their nutritional value for larvae plays a key role in this interaction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Chemical differences between seeds and elaiosomes indicate an adaptation to nutritional needs of ants

et al. 2007

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“…Studies of seed dispersal by ants have paid much attention to true myrmecochory. Myrmecochory sensu stricto generally refers to the dispersal of seeds bearing a lipid and nutrient-rich elaiosome (Brew et al, 1989;Hughes et al, 1994;Boulay et al, 2006;Fischer et al, 2008;Pfeiffer et al, 2010). This appendage elicits ants to transport the elaiosomebearing diaspores back to their nest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal of non-myrmecochorous plants by a “keystone disperser” ant in a Mediterranean habitat reveals asymmetric interdependence

et al. 2012

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In contrast to other plant-animal mutualisms, seed dispersal interactions, and particularly seed dispersal by ants, are generally considered asymmetric, non-specialized relationships in which dispersers depend less on plants than vice versa. Although myrmecochory is well understood in many terrestrial ecosystems, dispersal of non-elaiosomebearing seeds by ants has barely been studied outside the Neotropics. Aphaenogaster senilis, a common ant in Southern Spain, collects a great variety of non-myrmecochorous diaspores along with insect prey. At our study site, fleshy fruits of Arum italicum, Phillyrea angustifolia and Pistacia lentiscus represent up to one-fourth of the items collected by A. senilis from June to November. However, they are mostly ignored by other ants. In the laboratory, the addition of A. italicum fruits to A. senilis insect-based diet increased male production and both worker and queen pupae size. Seeds were transported up to 8 m away from the mother plant and deposited in a favorable habitat allowing a relatively high proportion of germination. Given important differences in seed production between species, our data suggest that A. senilis removes virtually all seeds of A. italicum, but a negligible fraction of P. lentiscus seeds. We conclude that in contrast to the common view, dispersal of non-myrmecochorous Mediterranean plants by ants might be an important phenomenon. Keystone disperser ants like A. senilis probably obtain an important fitness advantage from non-myrmecochorous diaspore collection. However, plant benefit may vary greatly according to the amount of seeds per individual plant and the existence of alternative dispersal agents.

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“…This confirms previous results indicating that diaspore aggregation enhances removal rate (Gorb and Gorb 2000) and suggests that plants producing many seeds or releasing them during a limited time window may favor greater dispersal success. Moreover, it has long been known that oleic acid either in its free form or as a glyceride stimulates removal behavior (Marshall et al 1979;Skidmore and Heithaus 1988;Brew et al 1989;Hughes et al 1994 Boulay et al 2006). Yet, this is the first time that intraspecific variations in oleic acid content have been related to ant service in the field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their semidry weight was then measured to the nearest 0.1 mg. Chemical analyses were conducted on an independent set of 413 elaiosomes (two to seven elaiosomes per plant). The details of lipid extraction and analysis are presented by Boulay et al (2006). After transesterification of the di-and triglycerides and methylation of the free fatty acids, the samples were analyzed by gas chromatography and flame ionization detection.…”

Section: Diaspore Weight and Chemical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A large body of evidence also indicates that ant retrieval behavior is triggered by elaiosome fatty acids. In particular, oleic acid, either free or as diolein, stimulates removal (Marshall et al 1979;Skidmore and Heithaus 1988;Brew et al 1989;Hughes et al 1994;Boulay et al 2006). However, it is not known whether natural variations in elaiosome oleic acid concentration affect ant visits in the field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geographic variations in seed dispersal by ants: are plant and seed traits decisive?

Boulay

Coll-Toledano

Manzaneda

et al. 2006

Naturwissenschaften

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The effect of local ant species on the dispersal success of a myrmecochorous plant, Helleborus foetidus, was analyzed in two populations of the Iberian Peninsula (Caurel and Cazorla, respectively). The contribution of the various local ant species to dispersal was very unequal. While 5 and 19 ant taxa visited the plants of Caurel and Cazorla, respectively, most removal activity (67 and 80%) was performed by two species only (Formica lugubris and Camponotus cruentatus, respectively). Visits by dispersers were also unequally distributed between neighboring plants. While some plants were always visited during the period of seed release, others were never visited. A regression model indicated that this pattern might be explained by two plant traits: ants preferred to visit plants that released more seeds and whose elaiosomes were richer in oleic acid. Although it has long been known that this compound triggers removal by ants, it is the first demonstration that quantitative variations in elaiosome traits contribute to variation in dispersal success. Finally, other variables being equal, morphological traits (seed size, elaiosome size, and elaiosome/seed size ratio) did not affect ant behavior. Although myrmecochory has long been considered a diffuse interaction, our results support the idea that, at local scale, a limited number of ant species may be decisive to its evolution.

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Geographic variations in Helleborus foetidus elaiosome lipid composition: implications for dispersal by ants

Cited by 43 publications

References 35 publications

Chemical differences between seeds and elaiosomes indicate an adaptation to nutritional needs of ants

Chemical differences between seeds and elaiosomes indicate an adaptation to nutritional needs of ants

Dispersal of non-myrmecochorous plants by a “keystone disperser” ant in a Mediterranean habitat reveals asymmetric interdependence

Geographic variations in seed dispersal by ants: are plant and seed traits decisive?

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