title: How plants shape the ant community in the Amazonian rainforest canopy: the key role of extrafloral nectaries and homopteran honeydew.
abstract: Ant-plant interactions in the canopy of a lowland Amazonian rainforest of the upper Orinoco, Venezuela, were studied using a modified commercial crane on rails (Surumoni project). Our observations show a strong correlation between plant sap exudates and both abundance of ants and co-occurrence of ant species in tree canopies. Two types of plant sap sources were compared: extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) and honeydew secretions by homopterans. EFNs were a frequent food source for ants on epiphytes (Philodendron spp., Araceae) and lianas (Dioclea, Fabaceae), but rare on canopy trees in the study area, whereas the majority of trees were host to aggregations of homopterans tended by honeydew-seeking ants (on 62% of the trees examined). These aggregations rarely occurred on epiphytes. Baited ant traps were installed on plants with EFNs and in the crowns of trees from three common genera, including trees with and without ant-tended homopterans: Goupia glabra (Celastraceae), Vochysia spp. (Vochysiaceae), and Xylopia spp. (Annonaceae). The number of ant workers per trap was significantly higher on plants offering one of the two plant sap sources than on trees without such resources. Extrafloral nectaries were used by a much broader spectrum of ant species and genera than honeydew, and co-occurrence of ant species (in traps) was significantly higher on plants bearing EFNs than on trees. Homopteran honeydew (Coccidae and Membracidae), on the other hand, was mostly monopolised by a single ant colony per tree. Homopteran-tending ants were generally among the most dominant ants in the canopy. The most prominent genera were Azteca, Dolichoderus (both Dolichoderinae), Cephalotes, Pheidole, Crematogaster (all Myrmicinae), and Ectatomma (Ponerinae). Potential preferences were recorded between ant and homopteran species, and also between ant-homopteran associations and tree genera. We hypothesize that the high availability of homopteran honeydew provides a key resource for ant mosaics, where dominant ant colonies and species maintain mutually exclusive territories on trees. In turn, we propose that for nourishment of numerous ants of lower competitive capacity, Philodendron and other sources of EFNs might be particularly important.
authors.affiliation: Botanisches Institut der Universität Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53115 Bonn, Germany, Germany.
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blüthgen
authors.affiliation: Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Erbprinzenstrasse 13, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany, Germany.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verhaagh
authors.affiliation: Universidad Simón Rodríguez. Apartado 47925, Caracas 1010, Venezuela, Venezuela.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Goitía
authors.affiliation: Universidad Simón Bolívar, Apartado 89000, Caracas 1080, Venezuela, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaffé
authors.affiliation: Botanisches Institut der Universität Leipzig, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany, Germany.
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Morawetz
authors.affiliation: Botanisches Institut der Universität Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53115 Bonn, Germany, Germany.
authors.forename: Wilhelm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Barthlott