The Influence of Ants Upon Parasites, Predators, and Scale Insects1

Ants in citrus: impact on the abundance, species richness, diversity and community structure of predators and parasitoids

“…Our results are in agreement with other studies which have also found lower densities of chrysopids in ant-allowed treatments (James et al, 1999;Kaplan and Eubanks, 2002;McPhee et al, 2012;Vanek and Potter, 2010). Several authors reported aggressive behavior of different ant species against chrysopids (Bartlett, 1961;Vanek and Potter, 2010) or ant predation on chrysopid eggs (Dreistadt et al, 1986;Morris et al, 1998) which may result in lower chrysopid populations.…”

“…The same or even greater variability is reported at the species level; natural enemies, even species belonging to the same taxonomic order, may be affected differently by ants. For example, several studies have shown that ants have a negative impact on certain coccinellid species (Bartlett, 1961;Itioka and Inoue, 1996;Kaplan and Eubanks, 2002), but other coccinellid species are not affected (Flanders, 1958;Vanek and Potter, 2010) or even increase their densities under ant presence (Daane et al, 2007;Völkl and Vohland, 1996). Likewise, the activity of several parasitoid species is disrupted by ants (Bartlett, 1961;Martínez-Ferrer et al, 2003;Mgocheki and Addison, 2009) while others are able to parasitize ant-tended plant feeders (Barzman and Daane, 2001;Flanders, 1958;Völkl, 1994).…”

“…Especially mutualisms have been found to have broader effects on the wider arthropod community affecting eventually plant health (Eubanks and Finke, 2014;Kaplan and Eubanks, 2005). One of the best studied mutualisms involving ants is the relationship with honeydew producing hemipterans, in which ants use the honeydew excreted as an important carbohydrate source and, in turn, protect hemipterans from their natural enemies (Bartlett, 1961;Carroll and Janzen, 1973;Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990;Way, 1963). As a result, anttending may have wider community-level consequences by altering the abundance and distribution of predators and parasitoids (Styrsky and Eubanks, 2007;Tena et al, 2013).…”

Larvae of two ladybirds, Phymatosternus lewisii and Scymnus posticalis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), exploiting colonies of the brown citrus aphid Toxoptera citricidus (Homoptera: Aphididae) attended by the ant Pristomyrmex pungens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…Ants attending honeydew-producing homopterans heavily attack and repel many species of arthropod predators and parasitoids that approach ant-attended homopteran colonies (e.g., Bartlett, 1961;Banks, 1962;Bristow, 1984;Cushman and Whitham, 1989;Vinson and Scarborough, 1991;Jiggins et al, 1993;Itioka and Inoue, 1996). However, some species of predators, chiefly their larvae, and parasitoids are able to exploit the homopterans that ants are guarding, through behavioral, chemical and/or morphological adaptations to avoid ant aggression (Pontin, 1959;Eisner et al, 1978;Takada and Hashimoto, 1985;Majerus, 1989;Völkl, 1992Völkl, , 1995Völkl and Vohland, 1996;Sloggett et al, 1998;Völkl and Mackauer, 2000;Barzman and Daane, 2001;Kaneko, 2002).…”

Impacts of two ants, Lasius niger and Pristomyrmex pungens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), attending the brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricidus (Homoptera: Aphididae), on the parasitism of the aphid by the primary parasitoid, Lysiphlebus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), and its larval survival

“…A number of studies have documented that attending ants reduce the parasitism of honeydew-producers through attacks and/or disturbances against ovipositing parasitoid females (e.g., Bartlett, 1961;Völkl and Mackauer, 1993;Itioka and Inoue, 1996;Stechmann et al, 1996), whereas several studies have shown that ant-attendance enhances parasitism by some species of aphid parasitoids (Völkl, 1992;Mackauer and Völkl, 1993;Völkl and Stechmann, 1998;Kaneko, 2002). One particular species of homopteran is, in most cases, facultatively associated with multiple species of ants that vary substantially in their aggressiveness towards the homopteran's enemies and in their effectiveness in defending the homopteran against the enemies (Bristow, 1984;Buckley and Gullan, 1991;Cudjoe et al, 1993;Itioka and Inoue, 1999;Kaneko, 2003).…”