黄猄蚁对大蜜蜂的捕食行为及其潜在影响

捕食作用会对访花昆虫的种群、行为以及植物适合度产生影响,是植物与传粉者相互关系研究中常被忽视的因素.本文报道了黄猄蚁对大蜜蜂的捕食行为,并模拟捕食的关键环节研究了捕食过程对重要访花昆虫行为的影响.结果表明,黄猄蚁能够利用局部环境主动攻击猎物,利用群体合作捕获采集过程中的体型较大的大蜜蜂,捕食威胁是其影响植物-访花者关系的重要机制.大蜜蜂具有感知花上危险的能力,模拟处理的个体会逃离危险的花或植株并在花上留下标记,将危险信息传递给其它个体.其它拜访者对具有危险信号花的采集频次明显减少,采集时间缩短;模拟处理的影响会随时间推移而较快地消失.此外,该实验没有发现大蜜蜂在花上停留采集过程中具有明显的防御行为.

Weaver Ants Prey Giant Honeybees Under Flowers and its Potential Impact on Flower Visiting Behavior of Giant Honeybees

Predation affects the population and behaviors of flower visiting insects and plant fitness,most studies on plant-pollinator interactions have neglect this factor.This study reported weaver ants prey giant honeybees under flowers,and tried to understand the role of predation process on important foraging insects by simulated experiments.The results showed that,weaver ants forwardly attack their prey in good position and capture giant honeybees,indicated predation is an important factor to the interactions of plants and flower visiting insects.Giant honeybees had the ability to perceive predation risk on flowers,and they leave the dangerous warning to other bees.The treated individuals fled away from risky inflorescence and plants,leaving the sign on the inflorescence.Significantly lower foraging frequency was observed to the inflorescence where the bee has been attacked,and duration of foraging was also shorter than that of the control.The effect of simulated treatment disappeared quickly in few minutes.This study found no obvious defense behavior when honeybees were foraging nectar.