title: The advantage of attending ants and gall aggregation for the gall wasp Andricus symbioticus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae).
abstract: Gall clusters of Andricus symbioticus secrete a sweet and sticky food attractive to ants. An ant exclusion experiment demonstrated the selective advantage of attending ants and gall aggregation for A. symbioticus. This gall wasp interacts with the gall-attending ants only through the host plant. Evolution of this symbiotic relationship seems to be associated with gall aggregation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto Prefectural University, Shimogamo, 606, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abe
keywords: Andricus symbioticus; Ant attendance; Exclusion experiment; Gall aggregation; Gall wasp