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Elaiosome

About: Elaiosome is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 297 publications have been published within this topic receiving 12193 citations.


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Book
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them.
Abstract: Mutualistic interactions between ants and plants involve rewards offered by plants and services performed by ants in a mutually advantageous relationship. The rewards are principally food and/or nest sites, and ants in turn perform a number of services for plants: they disperse and plant seeds; they protect foliage, buds, and reproductive structures from enemies such as herbivores and seed predators; they fertilize plants with essential nutrients; and they may sometimes function as pollinators. In this book, initially published in 1985, Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them. This important work explores the natural history, experimental approach, and integration with contemporary evolutionary and ecological literature of the time will appeal to a wide variety of biologists.

674 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Field experinfents and observations indicate that c.
Abstract: Field experinfents and observations indicate that c. 1500 species, representing 87 genera and 24 families, of Australian vascular plants are myrmecochorous, i.e. regularly dispersed by ants because of ant-attracting structures (elaiosomes) on their seeds or fruits. Ant behaviour towards an elaiosome depends primarily upon the species of ant but also upon the individual ant and the field situation. Australian myrmecochorous plants are unexpectedly numerous and strikingly different from those known from the northern hemisphere. Most of them are shrubs. Diplochory is common. Subsidiary myrmecochorous features are rare. The elaiosomes are often firm and persistent. Australian myrmecochorous plants are not forest mesophytes, as are most of those previously known, but xerophytes of the Australian dry heath and sclerophyll vegetation. Apparently myrmecochory was not brought to Australia with immigrating plants, but developed within Australia, probably under the selective influence of xeric habitats as they spread during the Tertiary.

359 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 1984-Ecology
TL;DR: It is suggested that continued invasion of fynbos by Iridomyrmex may eventually lead to extinction of many rare, endemic Cape Proteaceae by slow and subtle attrition of seed reserves.
Abstract: Many plant species in Cape fynbos shrublands have seeds dispersed by ants. Irido- myrmex humilis, the Argentine ant, has recently invaded areas of fynbos and displaced the dominant native ants. The consequences of the invasion for seed dispersal were studied. Iridomyrmex differed from native ants in being slower to discover the seeds (morphologically achenes) of ant-dispersed Mimetes cucullatus (Proteaceae), in moving them shorter distances, and in failing to store them in nests below the soil. Seeds left on the soil surface were eaten by vertebrate and invertebrate predators. To study seedling emergence, seed depots were established and then the area was burned. Emergence was 35.3% in sites not infested by Iridomyrmex and 0.7% in infested sites. Seedlings in naturally occurring stands of M. cucullatus burnt in the same fire were widely distributed in noninfested sites, but were fewer and were confined within the canopy radius in infested sites. We suggest that continued invasion of fynbos by Iridomyrmex may eventually lead to extinction of many rare, endemic Cape Proteaceae by slow and subtle attrition of seed reserves.

348 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There was no evidence of specialization of particular ant species on particular Viola species, and the advantage of ant dispersal is relocation to a 'safe site' for germination, thus reducing predation, increasing germination stimuli, and increasing the available supply of nutrients.
Abstract: SUMMARY (1) The interactions of ants and diplochorous Viola seeds were studied at four forest and forest-edge sites in Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. Of the nine Viola species studied, seeds of six (V. blanda, V. papilionacea, V. pedata, V. pensylvanica, V. rostrata and V. triloba) were readily taken. (2) The most important seed transporters were Aphaenogaster spp., but Formica subsericea, Lasius alienus, Leptothorax spp., Myrmica punctiventris and Tapinoma sessile also took seeds. Unlike the situation in Europe, ants of the Formica rufa group displayed little interest in Viola seeds. There was no evidence of specialization of particular ant species on particular Viola species. (3) Cleistogamous seeds were taken much less frequently than chasmogamous seeds, even though cleistogamous seeds had larger elaiosomes. This difference is apparently due to diet shifts of the ants in summer. (4) Most seeds picked up by ants were carried to the nest. The distances seeds were moved averaged about 75 cm, which is less than the average ballistic dispersal distance. (5) The advantage of ant dispersal is relocation to a 'safe site' for germination, thus reducing predation, increasing germination stimuli, and increasing the available supply of nutrients.

271 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 2006-Oikos
TL;DR: It is argued that focusing future research on the evolution of partner choice by myrmecochores and its effects on the overall plant fitness will be more fruitful than putting an emphasis on classifying the selective advantage to plants into distinct categories and test for their existence separately.
Abstract: Myrmecochory, or seed dispersal by ants, is a dispersal syndrome found among several thousand plant species occupying different ecosystems and geographical regions. Typically, ants benefit from consuming a lipid-rich appendage on the seed and in return provide seed dispersal service to the plant. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the selective advantage for plants resulting from myrmecochory, including directed dispersal, dispersal for distance and escape from seed predators. I contrast the evidence available in the literature for these hypotheses and distinguish the studies on the basis of ecosystem and plant growth forms. The predator-avoidance and the distance dispersal hypotheses were supported in most studies that addressed them, and the directed dispersal hypothesis was supported in about half of the studies that tested it. Multiple hypotheses were supported in most studies that tested more than one hypothesis, suggesting that the various selective advantages conferred from myrmecochory are seldom exclusive. I also review evidence for the hypothesis that plants have evolved adaptations both for selecting seed dispersers and for manipulating the behavior of those dispersers. Based on this evidence, I argue that focusing future research on the evolution of partner choice by myrmecochores and its effects on the overall plant fitness will be more fruitful than putting an emphasis on classifying the selective advantage to plants into distinct categories and test for their existence separately.

255 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
20216
20209
201910
20189
20175
20168