Ant protection of the nectaried fern Polypodium plebeium in central Mexico |
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Authors: | Koptur S Rico-Gray V Palacios-Rios M |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199;2. Departamento de Ecología Vegetal, Instituto de Ecología, Apdo. Postal 63, Xalapa, Veracruz 91000, México |
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Abstract: | Nectaries on fronds of Polypodium spp. have been studied previously only in cultivated specimens. We conducted field observations in middle-elevation forests in Mexico and found five ant species associated with nectaries of Polypodium plebeium and P. lepidotrichum. To investigate whether nectaries promote protection against herbivores, we performed ant-exclusion experiments with nectary-bearing ferns (P. plebeium) and other ferns without nectaries (Polypodium plesiosorum, P. furfuraceum, and Phlebodium pseudoaureum). When ants were excluded from the developing fronds of Polypodium plebeium, damage from foliage-feeding sawfly and lepidopteran caterpillars was significantly greater than in control fronds. Ferns without nectaries did not show a difference in damage between ant-excluded and control fronds. Our results demonstrate that fern nectaries can support ant defense of the plant body as do the extrafloral nectaries of many angiosperms. |
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Keywords: | ant–plant interactions antiherbivore defense ferns nectaries plant protection Polypodium plebeium Polypodiaceae pteridophytes |
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