Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Ontogenetic succession and the ant mosaic: An empirical approach using pioneer trees
Basic and Applied Ecology, Volume 9, No. 3, Year 2008
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Arboreal ant mosaics have been intensively investigated, but what generates these mosaics remains poorly understood. In this paper, we hypothesize that the dynamics of arboreal ant mosaics could be better understood by examining the ontogenetic succession of ants in tropical trees. We used three African pioneer tree species as biological models. Lophira alata (Ochnaceae) is a long-lived species that does not furnish any reward (i.e., extra-floral nectaries [EFNs], shelter) to ants, Anthocleista vogelii (Gentianaceae) bears extremely well-developed EFNs, and Barteria fistulosa (Passifloraceae) is a long-lived myrmecophyte providing both EFNs and domatia. For both L. alata and A. vogelii, we noted a succession of different associated ants as the plants grew and aged. Ground-nesting, arboreal-foraging ant species were the first associates, followed by arboreal species that build nests with the leaves of their host trees, together with some species nesting opportunistically in pre-existing cavities. Carton-building Crematogaster species were the last in this succession. The presence of EFNs on A. vogelii slows species turnover, demonstrating that the plant exerts some control over its ant associates. The comparison with B. fistulosa, which generally remains associated with the same plant-ant species during its entire ontogeny, highlights the importance of the selective attractiveness of the trees for their associated ants - or, perhaps, the existence of plant filters that screen arriving ants. © 2007 Gesellschaft für Ökologie.
Authors & Co-Authors
Dejean, Alain
France, Toulouse
Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique
Djiéto-Lordon, Champlain
Cameroon, Yaounde
Université de Yaoundé I
Cereghino, Regis
France, Toulouse
Université Toulouse Iii - Paul Sabatier
Leponce, Maurice
Belgium, Brussels
Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut Voor Natuurwetenschappen
Statistics
Citations: 47
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.baae.2007.03.001
ISSN:
14391791
e-ISSN:
16180089