Interactions between seed‐dispersing ant species affect plant community composition in field mesocosms

Prior, Kirsten M.; Meadley‐Dunphy, Shannon A.; Frederickson, Megan E.

doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13310

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 102 publications

(180 reference statements)

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“…Ant nests emit high amounts of CO 2 and are therefore spots of high metabolic activity (Risch et al, 2005). In many plant communities, ants are important seed dispersers affecting the distribution of plant species (Prior et al, 2020), and many ant species form mutualistic relationships with plants and myrmecophilous insects, altering the distribution of the species connected within these ecological networks (Ness et al, 2010). With their stationary and perennial colonies, which restrict the activity and foraging of workers to an area close to the nest (Blüthgen & Feldhaar, 2010), ants have relatively constant populations at a site and can thus be reliably monitored and easily sampled in a standardized way, which makes them established indicator organisms (Alonso, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant diversity and functional identity alter ant occurrence and activity in experimental grasslands

et al. 2022

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Increasing plant species richness has been shown to positively affect the diversity of a range of other organisms, both above-and belowground. Although ants have a multitude of interactions with other organisms through their role as predators and mutualists, ants are a taxon that has rarely been investigated in studies of biodiversity effects. Ants are known to respond to changes in microclimatic conditions such as temperature and humidity, and these microclimatic conditions are known to be affected by vegetation characteristics such as standing biomass, which in turn can be affected by plant diversity. We investigated the effects of plant species richness (1-60), the number of plant functional groups (FGs; 1-4), and the presence of particular FGs on the occurrence and activity of ants, in the context of a grassland biodiversity experiment. Ant abundance, estimated as the mean number of workers in pitfall traps, and the number of colonies within plots, but not ant species richness, were negatively affected by plant species richness, and also by the identity of plant FGs, particularly legumes (negative effects) and grasses (positive effects). Statistical approaches showed that these effects were largely mediated by biotic (aboveground plant biomass: negative effect) and abiotic variables (soil temperature: positive effect). Notably, ant activity, measured as the mean number of workers foraging on baits and with a disproportionate dominance of a single species (Lasius niger), showed a more complex pattern, where plant species richness and number of FGs interacted to explain differential attractiveness to different resources (represented by sugar and tuna baits), likely representing current nutritional requirements for ants. Similarly, increasing soil temperature increased the level of ant activity, indicating that abiotic factors might impose thermal constraints on ectotherms inhabiting temperate grasslands. Our results indicate that a higher number of plant species and higher plant biomass had a negative effect on ants in experimental grasslands. Understanding the responses of an ecologically important group such as ants will allow us to infer the effects that biodiversity loss could have on animal-mediated ecosystem processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant diversity and functional identity alter ant occurrence and activity in experimental grasslands

et al. 2022

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“…This suggests that overall, other ant species do not have a direct antagonistic interaction with seeds or mutualist partners. This is an interesting finding, as it is generally predicted that other ants negatively affect dispersal directly (by being antagonistic or low quality partners) or indirectly by outcompeting the good disperser (Ness 2004;Giladi 2006;Ness et al 2009;Prior et al 2020;Parker et al 2021). Habitat factors in both the combined and remnant path analysis influenced other ant species abundance, which suggests that the other ant species were more abundant in microhabitats that also favored Aphaenogaster sp.. During the seed removal trials, we only observed two other ant species interacting with, but not removing, seeds: the native species Lasius americanus and the invasive species Nylanderia flavipes, with the latter occurring at high abundances and removing parts of elaiosomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Another source of variation we did not account for, is that we pooled Aphaenogaster species given that they are challenging to tell apart in the field. Emerging work, including our own, suggests that mutualistic partner identity (among Aphaenogaster putative species and populations) can affect seed dispersal function Prior et al 2015;Meadley Dunphy et al 2020;Prior et al 2020;Buono et al 2022). Also, we controlled for 11 rodent impacts on seed dispersal, but variation in this antagonistic interaction could also be contributing to how HLUC affects this mutualism (Ness & Morin 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Historical forest disturbance results in variation in functional resilience of seed dispersal mutualisms

Buono

Lofaso

Smisko

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Mutualistic interactions provide essential ecosystem functions, such as promoting and maintaining diversity. Understanding if functionally important mutualisms are resilient (able to resist and recover) to anthropogenic disturbance is important to understand the capacity for diversity to recover. Animal-mediated seed dispersal supports plant population growth and community structure, and disturbance of this function can threaten plant diversity and contribute to low resiliency. Ant-mediated seed dispersal mutualisms are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance, as they rely on one to a few high-quality dispersal partners. In North American eastern deciduous forests (NAEDF), ants in the genus Aphaenogaster are keystone dispersers of 30-40% of understory forbs adapted to dispersal by ants (myrmecochores). The majority of present day NAEDF have regenerated from previous disturbance in the form of historical land use change (HLUC), due to clearing for agriculture. Previous studies have revealed that myrmecochore diversity is not resilient to HLUC. Here, we ask if seed dispersal mutualisms are resilient to HLUC and if decreases in mutualistic interactions with partners, Aphaenogaster sp., or increases in antagonistic interactions cause degradation of function. In a large-scale natural experiment (20 sites), we measured seed removal, the abundance of mutualistic partners and other invertebrates interacting with seeds, myrmecochore cover and diversity, along with ant habitat and forest structure. We found lower and more variable seed removal in secondary forests compared to remnant forests. A path analysis of all forests revealed that abundance of mutualists was the primary determinant of variation in seed removal, and that seed damage by antagonists (invasive slugs) negatively affected dispersal and was higher in secondary forests. In a path analysis of remnant forests, the link between mutualist abundance and seed removal was absent, but present in the secondary forest path, suggesting that seed dispersal is more variable and dependent on mutualist abundance in secondary forests and is stable and high in remnant forests. Here we show that functional resilience to HLUC is variable and may impede recovery of understory plant communities. This work provides key insights on the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on mutualistic interactions and how the resilience of critical ecosystem functions impacts diversity resiliency.

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“…Several exotic animal species can outcompete native dispersers or affect their dispersal behavior [ 12 , 13 ]. They may also facilitate the introduction of exotic plants by dispersing them and enhancing seedling recruitment success [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Impacts of Exotic Species on Native Seed Dispersal Systems: A Systematic Review

Cordero

Gálvez

Fontúrbel

2023

Plants

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Exotic species are one of the main threats to biodiversity, leading to alterations in the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. However, they can sometimes also provide ecological services, such as seed dispersal. Therefore, we assessed the ecological impacts of exotic species on native dispersal systems and the mechanisms underlying the disruption of mutualistic plant–disperser interactions. Exotic species negatively affect dispersal mutualisms by (i) altering dispersal behavior and visitation rates of native dispersers, (ii) predating native dispersers, (iii) transmitting forest pathogens, and (iv) predating seeds. Conversely, positive impacts include the dispersal of native plants, forest regeneration, and native habitat restoration via (i) increasing the visitation rates of frugivorous birds, (ii) facilitating the colonization and establishment of native forest trees, (iii) enhancing forest species seedling survival, and (iv) facilitating seed rain and seedling recruitment of early and late successional native plants. The reviewed studies provide similar results in some cases and opposite results in others, even within the same taxa. In almost all cases, exotic species cause negative impacts, although sometimes they are necessary to ensure native species’ persistence. Therefore, exotic species management requires a comprehensive understanding of their ecological roles, since the resulting effects rely on the complexity of native–exotic species interactions.

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Interactions between seed‐dispersing ant species affect plant community composition in field mesocosms

Cited by 10 publications

References 102 publications

Plant diversity and functional identity alter ant occurrence and activity in experimental grasslands

Plant diversity and functional identity alter ant occurrence and activity in experimental grasslands

Historical forest disturbance results in variation in functional resilience of seed dispersal mutualisms

Ecological Impacts of Exotic Species on Native Seed Dispersal Systems: A Systematic Review

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