Context-dependence in an ant-aphid mutualism: direct effects of tending intensity on aphid performance

• Published in: Ecological entomology Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 450 - 458
• Main Authors: YOO, HO JUNG S., HOLWAY, DAVID A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2011
• Subjects: Ant : aphid ratio; ant attendance; Aphididae; Chaitophorus; conditionality; Formicidae; Hemiptera; life-history parameters; Linepithema humile; mutualist; myrmecophily; Populus fremontii

1. In ant-hemipteran mutualisms, ants receive carbohydrates in the form of honeydew, while hemipterans receive protection from natural enemies. In the absence of natural enemies, however, the direct effects of tending are generally less well known. We hypothesised that with increasing tending intens...