Honeydew collection by the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus versus the native ant L. grandis |
| |
Authors: | Carolina Ivon Paris Xavier Espadaler |
| |
Institution: | (1) Animal Biodiversity Research Group, Ecology Unit and CREAF, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;(2) Present address: Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 Lab 28 4to piso–Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| |
Abstract: | Honeydew collection performed by the invasive ant Lasius neglectus and by the native ant L. grandis was compared. The invasive ant collected 2.09 kg of honeydew per tree while the native ant collected 0.82 kg. The aphid Lachnus roboris was visited by both ant species. In holm oaks colonized by L. neglectus, aphid abundance tended to increase and its honeydew production increased twofold. The percentage of untended aphids was
lower in holm trees occupied by L. neglectus. As tending ants also prey on insects, we estimated the percentage of carried insects. The native ant workers carried more
insects than the invasive ant. Both ant species preyed mainly on Psocoptera and the rarely tended aphid, Hoplocallis picta. We conclude that the higher honeydew collection achieved by L. neglectus was the consequence of (1) its greater abundance, which enabled this ant to tend more Lachnus roboris and (2) its greater level of attention towards promoting an increase of honeydew production.
Handling editor: Heikki Hokkanen |
| |
Keywords: | Aphid– ant mutualism Invasive ants Lachnus roboris Quercus ilex |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|