A mutualism's indirect costs: The most aggressive plant bodyguards also deter pollinators
Article Abstract:
The hypothesis that aggressive ant bodyguards of plants deter pollinators is investigated and the mechanism by which Ferocactus wislizeni limits conflicts between its pollinators and bodyguards is explored. The ant species most rarely found in flowers showed the strongest aversion to F. wislizeni flower petals suggesting that those structures may include an ant deterrent and also suggests that best bodyguards may indirectly constrain plant reproduction in some settings.
Publication Name: Oikos
Subject: Environmental issues
ISSN: 0030-1299
Year: 2006
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Complex interactions on fig trees: Ants capturing parasitic wasps as possible indirect mutualists of the fig-fig wasp interaction
Article Abstract:
The influence of predatory ants on the complex interactions between the plants, pollinators and parasites associated with two dioecious and one monoecious figs species are studied .The consistent influence of the presence of ants in the three cases representing a geographically, ecologically and taxonomically broad samples of figs, demonstrated that ants can be regarded as indirect mutualists of plants and pollinators in the network of complex interactions.
Publication Name: Oikos
Subject: Environmental issues
ISSN: 0030-1299
Year: 2006
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Size constraints and flower abundance determine the number of interactions in a plant-flower visitor web
Article Abstract:
A study on whether flower size parameters set constraints on the morphology of the potential nectar feeding visitors which determine the number of visitor species is illustrated. It involves three possible constraints, the depth and the width of tubular structures hiding the nectar and the size of flower parts that visitors can land on and the role of flower abundance on this relationship.
Publication Name: Oikos
Subject: Environmental issues
ISSN: 0030-1299
Year: 2006
User Contributions:
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