Ant Protection of the Nectaried Fern Polypodium plebeium in Central Mexico

Nectaries on fronds of Polypodium spp have been studied previously only in cultivated specimens We conducted field observations in middle-elevation forests in Mexico and found five ant species associated with nectaries of Polypodium plebeium and P. lepidotrichum. To investigate whether nectaries pro...mote protection against herbivores, we performed antexclusion experiments with nectary-bearing ferns (P plebeium) and other ferns without nectaries (Polypodium plesiosorum, P. furfuraceum, and Phlebodium pseudoaureum). When ants were excluded from the developing fronds of Polypodium plebeium, damage from foliage-feeding sawfly and lepidopteran caterpillars was significantly greater than in control fronds Ferns without nectaries did not show a difference in damage between ant-excluded and control fronds Our results demonstrate that fern nectaries can support ant defense of the plant body as do the extrafloral nectaries of many angiosperms Ausführliche Beschreibung Beschreibung ausblenden

1. Person:	Koptur, Suzanne
Weitere Personen:	Rico-Gray, Victor verfasserin; Palacios-Rios, Mónica verfasserin
Quelle:	in American journal of botany Vol. 85, No. 5 (1998), p. 736-739 Weitere Artikel
Format:	Online-Artikel
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	1998
Beschreibung:	Online-Ressource
Schlagworte:	research-article Ant-Plant Interactions Antiherbivore Defense Ferns Nectaries Plant Protection Polypodium plebeium Polypodiaceae Pteridophytes
Online Zugang:	Volltext
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Anmerkung:	Copyright: Copyright 1998 Botanical Society of America, Inc.