Abstract
In ant-plant mutualistic associations, ant colonies nest in plant structures such as domatia when present or may be attracted to tree appendages like elaiosomes or extra-floral nectaries as food sources. These plants benefit from ant protection against herbivory, pathogens, and/or invasive vegetation. While ants are known to forage in the surroundings of their host trees, their impact on neighboring trees remains poorly understood. Here, we evaluated whether ant-plants (i.e., plants with nectaries or domatia; n = 62 and 36, respectively)
influence the mortality rates of neighboring non-myrmecophytes in a 25-ha rainforest dynamics plot (Yasuní National Park, Ecuador). We used three Angiosperm census datasets (1995–2017) to calculate the annual mortality of non-ant-plant neighbors within a ≤5 m radius (i.e., high-intensity ant foraging area). A Bayesian hierarchical binomial-logit model was applied to 324,598 observations, implemented in Stan using R ‘brms’ package. We found that non-ant-plants trees had significantly higher survival rates when neighboring plants
with nectaries (95% credible interval (CI): 0.27–1.95), whereas the opposite effect was detected for plants with domatia (95% CI: -1.15– -0.14). Additionally, census and intercensus severe drought events (e.g., 1997, 2001, 2015) significantly reduced survival of non-ant-plants compared to ant-plants (95% CI: -3.34– -0.93). As far as we can now confirm and suggest from our results, (1) ants from host trees with nectaries provide them and their neighbors with protection and labile resources enhancing plant fitness. (2) Probably, ants from host trees with domatia do not forage as much as ant from EFNs-plants as they nest and may be focused on protecting its host tree. (3) Since ant-plant mutualisms rely on carbon-based exchanges, maintaining these interactions during extreme drought may be positive for the ant-plant system itself, making ant-plants less
vulnerable to mortality.
influence the mortality rates of neighboring non-myrmecophytes in a 25-ha rainforest dynamics plot (Yasuní National Park, Ecuador). We used three Angiosperm census datasets (1995–2017) to calculate the annual mortality of non-ant-plant neighbors within a ≤5 m radius (i.e., high-intensity ant foraging area). A Bayesian hierarchical binomial-logit model was applied to 324,598 observations, implemented in Stan using R ‘brms’ package. We found that non-ant-plants trees had significantly higher survival rates when neighboring plants
with nectaries (95% credible interval (CI): 0.27–1.95), whereas the opposite effect was detected for plants with domatia (95% CI: -1.15– -0.14). Additionally, census and intercensus severe drought events (e.g., 1997, 2001, 2015) significantly reduced survival of non-ant-plants compared to ant-plants (95% CI: -3.34– -0.93). As far as we can now confirm and suggest from our results, (1) ants from host trees with nectaries provide them and their neighbors with protection and labile resources enhancing plant fitness. (2) Probably, ants from host trees with domatia do not forage as much as ant from EFNs-plants as they nest and may be focused on protecting its host tree. (3) Since ant-plant mutualisms rely on carbon-based exchanges, maintaining these interactions during extreme drought may be positive for the ant-plant system itself, making ant-plants less
vulnerable to mortality.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 61st Annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation |
| Subtitle of host publication | Tropical Biology and Conservation for a Sustainable World: Merging Diverse Approaches, Actors, and Local Knowledge |
| Place of Publication | México |
| Pages | 233 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Edition | 1 |
| State | Published - 4 Jul 2025 |
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