Abstract
Mutualistic ants can protect their partners from natural enemies in nature. Aenasius bambawalei is an important parasitoid of the the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis. We hypothesized that mutualism between native ants and mealybugs would favor survival of mealybugs. To test this, we examined effects of tending by the native mutualistic ant Tapinoma melanocephalum on growth of P. solenopsis colonies on Chinese hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, in a field setting. Ant workers with access to honeydew of mealybugs lived much longer than those provisioned only with water in the laboratory, and number of ant workers foraging increased significantly with growth of mealybug colonies in the field. In later observations, there were significant differences in densities of mealybugs between ant-tended and -excluded treatments. Survival rate of mealybugs experiencing parasitoid attack was significantly higher on ant-tended plants than on ant-excluded plants. When the parasitoid was excluded, there was no difference in survival rate of mealybugs between ant-tended and -excluded plants. In most cases, ants directly attacked the parasitoid, causing the parasitoid to take evasive action. We conclude that native ants such as T. melanocephalum have the potential to facilitate invasion and spread of P. solenopsis in China by providing them with protection from parasitoids.
Highlights
Since P. solenopsis secretes honeydew, it often engages in mutualistic interactions with ants, e.g., the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren[14]
Native ants retain a broader distribution in China than the red invasive fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, so P. solenopsis may have many opportunities to establish mutualisms with native ants in the process of range expansion
We address the question of whether mutualisms can evolve between native ants and P. solenopsis, and whether their aggressive behavior towards parasitoids can improve the survival of invasive mealybug colonies
Summary
Since P. solenopsis secretes honeydew, it often engages in mutualistic interactions with ants, e.g., the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren[14]. (Lepid.: Pyralidae), to help shield P. solenopsis from its natural enemies[40] These studies did not address whether this invasive ant provided direct protection of P. solenopsis against parasitoids or predators[14,40]. We hypothesized that P. solenopsis colonies able to establish mutualistic relationships with native ants would grow larger and suffer less parasitism than colonies prevented from doing so To test this hypothesis, a series of experiments were conducted to monitor the growth and survival of P. solenopsis colonies with and without the benefits of tending by T. melanocephalum workers. A series of experiments were conducted to monitor the growth and survival of P. solenopsis colonies with and without the benefits of tending by T. melanocephalum workers The results of these experiments may help us anticipate the potential role of native mutualistic ants in facilitating the invasion and range expansion of exotic honeydew-producing hemipterans
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
