保护性的蚂蚁-植物相互作用及其调节机制研究综述

蚂蚁-植物互利关系是生态和进化研究中的模式系统之一。该文分析总结了近年来有关蚂蚁对植物的保护作用及其调节机制的研究进展。植物通过给蚂蚁提供食物体、蚁菌穴和蜜露吸引蚂蚁, 通过自身的物理、化学方式调节与蚂蚁的互利关系, 使蚂蚁能有效地保护自已, 防止欺骗和寄生的发生。反过来, 蚂蚁可以减少植食性动物对植物的伤害和取食, 减少叶片损伤, 提高种子产量和质量, 提高植物的竞争优势等。虽然蚂蚁对植物的保护作用的强度受到多种生物与非生物因素的影响, 变异性较大, 但在大多数情况下, 蚂蚁-植物之间仍呈显著的正相互作用。同时, 蚂蚁-植物的相互作用还具有广泛的生态影响, 尤其会大大降低林冠上节肢动物群落的物种多样性和多度。未来的研究需要加强蚂蚁-植物互利关系的起源与维持机制、对蚂蚁自身的影响、与生物入侵的关系, 以及进化生态学等方面的研究。

A review of protective ant-plant interaction and its mediation mechanism

The mutualistic relationship between ants and plants is one of the model systems in ecological and evolutionary research. We review the protective ant-plant interaction and its mediation mechanisms. Plants often offer rewards such as food bodies, domatia or honeydews for ants; in return ants protect the host plant from animal herbivory, increase seed production and quality and enhance the competitive dominance of host plants. The protection effect is positive in most cases even though many biotic and abiotic factors vary significantly. The interaction has a broad range of ecological influences, especially on the species richness and abundances of canopy arthropods. Future research should address the origin and maintenance mechanisms of the mutualism, its impacts on partner ants, its relationship with species invasion and its evolutionary ecology significance.