Citation
Fiala Brigitte, . and Krebs S. Antonia, . and Barlow H.S., . and Maschwitz U., . Interactions between the climber Thunbergia grandiflora its pollinator Xylocopa latipes and the ant Dolichoderus thoracicus: the nectar-thief hypothesis refuted. pp. 1-14. ISSN 0025-1291
Abstract
The woody climber Thunbergia grandiflora (Acanthaceae) attracts ants with extrafloral nectaries on flower buds and reduced calyces. In addition the plant provides nectar for pollinating bees inside the flowers. In our study area in Malaysia the extranuptial nectaries were mainly visited by Dolichoderus thoracicus which was very abundant on the plant both by day and by night. Exclusion experiments demonstrated that ants protect the buds of the plants against an infestation by the pyralid Filodes fulvidorsalis. On ant-free inflorescences the moths oviposit on the buds where the caterpillars develop on the bud tissue thus destroying the buds completely and preventing any flowering of the panicles. No damage occured on buds where ants were present. Our studies did not support a theory from the literature ('nectar-thief protection hypothesis') which claims that ants protect the flowers against lateral perforation by nectar-robbing carpenter bees
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Abstract
The woody climber Thunbergia grandiflora (Acanthaceae) attracts ants with extrafloral nectaries on flower buds and reduced calyces. In addition the plant provides nectar for pollinating bees inside the flowers. In our study area in Malaysia the extranuptial nectaries were mainly visited by Dolichoderus thoracicus which was very abundant on the plant both by day and by night. Exclusion experiments demonstrated that ants protect the buds of the plants against an infestation by the pyralid Filodes fulvidorsalis. On ant-free inflorescences the moths oviposit on the buds where the caterpillars develop on the bud tissue thus destroying the buds completely and preventing any flowering of the panicles. No damage occured on buds where ants were present. Our studies did not support a theory from the literature ('nectar-thief protection hypothesis') which claims that ants protect the flowers against lateral perforation by nectar-robbing carpenter bees
Additional Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Summary (En) |
| AGROVOC Term: | ENREDADERAS ORNAMENTALES |
| AGROVOC Term: | ACANTHACEAE |
| AGROVOC Term: | NECTAR |
| AGROVOC Term: | NECTARIOS |
| AGROVOC Term: | FORMICIDAE |
| AGROVOC Term: | POLINIZADORES |
| AGROVOC Term: | XYLOCOPA |
| AGROVOC Term: | MALASIA |
| Depositing User: | Ms. Norfaezah Khomsan |
| Last Modified: | 24 Apr 2025 05:52 |
| URI: | http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17424 |
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