| Abstract Detail
4D Botany of the Anthropogenic Environment KOPTUR, SUZANNE [1], Jones, Ian M. [2], Diaz, Cecilia M. [3]. Ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries in urban and natural landscapes of south Florida. Native plant species with extrafloral nectaries interact with ants in natural areas, but what happens to these associations in fragmented natural areas, gardens, and other urban places? Ants are attracted to extrafloral nectaries of native legumes in many genera (including Chamaecrista, Senna, Lysiloma, and Pithecellobium) and in several cases we have evidence that the ants may benefit plants by deterring herbivory by phytophagous insects. Many other species of these native plant genera grow as ornamentals or invasive species in south Florida, and serve as host plants for some of the same herbivore species as do the native plant species. We contrast the ant species associated with these plants in natural and urban areas, and use network analysis to compare ant/plant interactions in these two communities.
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1 - Florida International University, Department Of Biological Sciences, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
2 - USDA Invasive Plant Research Laboratory, 3225 College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA
3 - Institute of Ecology (INECOL), Interacciones Multitroficas, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Keywords:
extrafloral nectar
ants
mutualism
Fabaceae
legume
native species
exotic
interactions.
Presentation Type: Symposium Presentation
Session: SY1, 4D Botany of the Anthropogenic Environment
Location: Sundance 3/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 11:00 AM
Number: SY1007
Abstract ID:228
Candidate for Awards:None |
