The role of extrafloral nectaries in the herbivore defence of Cassia fasiculata

Abstract. 1. An experiment is presented that tests the hypothesis that the extrafloral nectaries of Chssia fasiculata reduce herbivory by attracting pugnacious ants that deter herbivores, and tests the equivalence of two methods of ant exclusion: treatment with Tanglefoot, and nectary excision.
2. The protectionist hypothesis is not supported; treatment plants produced as many pods as did control plants.
3. Treatment with Tanglefoot is equivalent to nectary excision in terms of pod production
4. A graphical model is presented that relates the efficacy of ant protection to plant density and ant activity.