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<p>Ants and plants often establish mutualisms. However, not all plants offer direct rewards, which can favor ant access to flowers. These interactions can have antagonistic aspects, especially for flower visitors. But do they also affect flower-living herbivores? In this study, we evaluated the interaction between the ant <i>Camponotus termitarius</i> (Emery, 1902) and <i>Eryngium chamissonis</i> Urb., a plant that lacks a distraction mechanism to keep ants away from flowers. Specifically, we investigated whether the presence of ants affects the abundance of flower thrips, and whether the density of these insects varies with the number of ants present. Through field experiments, we collected inflorescences exposed to and deprived of ant visitation for 24&#xa0;h and counted the abundance of associated thrips. Our analyses reveal that the presence of ants differentially influences the developmental stages of flower thrips. These effects were adverse for the abundance of larvae thrips, while we observed the opposite for adults. These results demonstrate that the presence of ants decreased the presence of floral herbivores at developmental stages that require larger food sources for <i>E. chamissonis</i>. Thus, the lack of adaptations to prevent ant visitation to the flowers of this plant might lead to a reduction in the presence of flower-living herbivores.</p>

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When tiny herbivores encounter tenacious ants: the role of the presence of carpenter ants in influencing thrips abundance on inflorescences of Eryngium chamissonis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月11日

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  • Daniel A. Carvalho,
  • Sebastian F. Sendoya,
  • Adriano Cavalleri

摘要

Ants and plants often establish mutualisms. However, not all plants offer direct rewards, which can favor ant access to flowers. These interactions can have antagonistic aspects, especially for flower visitors. But do they also affect flower-living herbivores? In this study, we evaluated the interaction between the ant Camponotus termitarius (Emery, 1902) and Eryngium chamissonis Urb., a plant that lacks a distraction mechanism to keep ants away from flowers. Specifically, we investigated whether the presence of ants affects the abundance of flower thrips, and whether the density of these insects varies with the number of ants present. Through field experiments, we collected inflorescences exposed to and deprived of ant visitation for 24 h and counted the abundance of associated thrips. Our analyses reveal that the presence of ants differentially influences the developmental stages of flower thrips. These effects were adverse for the abundance of larvae thrips, while we observed the opposite for adults. These results demonstrate that the presence of ants decreased the presence of floral herbivores at developmental stages that require larger food sources for E. chamissonis. Thus, the lack of adaptations to prevent ant visitation to the flowers of this plant might lead to a reduction in the presence of flower-living herbivores.