1. Ant species identity mediates reproductive traits and allocation in an ant-garden bromeliad
- Author
-
Laurent Pélozuelo, Alain Dejean, Jean-François Carrias, Régis Céréghino, Bruno Corbara, Céline Leroy, AgroParisTech (FRANCE), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique - CIRAD (FRANCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CNRS (FRANCE), Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse - INPT (FRANCE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - INRA (FRANCE), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier - UT3 (FRANCE), Université Blaise Pascal - UBP (FRANCE), Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (FRANCE), Microorganismes : Génome et Environnement - LMGE (Aubière, France), Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse - Toulouse INP (FRANCE), Ecologie des forêts de Guyane (ECOFOG), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-AgroParisTech-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Microorganismes : Génome et Environnement (LMGE), Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Université d'Auvergne - Clermont-Ferrand I (UdA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (LEFE), Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université de Toulouse (UT), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Programme Amazonie II of the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Project 2ID), Programme Convergence 2007–2013 (Région Guyane) from the European Community (Project DEGA), Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Auvergne - Clermont-Ferrand I (UdA), Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Bromeliaceae ,Pollination ,Genetic Speciation ,Nitrogen ,Seed dispersal ,Biodiversité et Ecologie ,Flowers ,Plant Science ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Camponotus femoratus ,Pollinator ,Floral traits ,Seed Dispersal ,Animals ,Aechmea mertensii ,Reproductive allocation ,delta N-15 ,D15N ,Stable isotopes ,Plant evolution ,Abiotic component ,Ecologie, Environnement ,Ants ,Ecology ,Original Articles ,biology.organism_classification ,Biological Evolution ,Zoologie des invertébrés ,Fruit-set ,French Guiana ,Pachycondyla goeldii ,Inflorescence ,Fruit ,Seeds ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,Mutualistic ants ,Bromeliad ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
International audience; BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Determining the sources of variation in floral morphology is crucial to understanding the mechanisms underlying Angiosperm evolution. The selection of floral and reproductive traits is influenced by the plant's abiotic environment, florivores and pollinators. However, evidence that variations in floral traits result from mutualistic interactions with insects other than pollinators is lacking in the published literature and has rarely been investigated. We aimed to determine whether the association with either Camponotus femoratus or Pachycondyla goeldii (both involved in seed dispersal and plant protection) mediates the reproductive traits and allocation of Aechmea mertensii, an obligatory ant-garden tank-bromeliad, differently. METHODS: Floral and reproductive traits were compared between the two A. mertensii ant-gardens. The nitrogen flux from the ants to the bromeliads was investigated through experimental enrichments with stable isotopes ((15)N). KEY RESULTS: Camponotus femoratus-associated bromeliads produced inflorescences up to four times longer than did P. goeldii-associated bromeliads. Also, the numbers of flowers and fruits were close to four times higher, and the number of seeds and their mass per fruit were close to 1*5 times higher in C. femoratus than in P. goeldii-associated bromeliads. Furthermore, the (15)N-enrichment experiment showed that C. femoratus-associated bromeliads received more nitrogen from ants than did P. goeldii-associated bromeliads, with subsequent positive repercussions on floral development. Greater benefits were conferred to A. mertensii by the association with C. femoratus compared with P. goeldii ants. CONCLUSIONS: We show for the first time that mutualistic associations with ants can result in an enhanced reproductive allocation for the bromeliad A. mertensii. Nevertheless, the strength and direction of the selection of floral and fruit traits change based on the ant species and were not related to light exposure. The different activities and ecological preferences of the ants may play a contrasting role in shaping plant evolution and speciation.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF