Quantification of Ant Manure Deposition in a Tropical Agroecosystem: Implications for Host Plant Nitrogen Acquisition

Autor: Renkang K. Peng, Christian Damgaard, Christian Pinkalski, Karl-Martin Vagn Jensen, Joachim Offenberg
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Pinkalski, C A S, Damgaard, C, Jensen, K-M V, Peng, R & Offenberg, J 2015, ' Quantification of ant manure deposition in a tropical agroecosystem: Implications for host plant nitrogen acquisition ', Ecosystems, vol. 18, pp. 1373-1382 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-015-9906-5
ISSN: 1435-0629
1432-9840
DOI: 10.1007/s10021-015-9906-5
Popis: Ants are functionally important organisms in mostterrestrial ecosystems. Being ubiquitous andabundant, ant communities can affect the availabilityof resources to both primary and secondaryconsumers. As nitrogen is a limiting nutrient forplant growth in most terrestrial ecosystems, depositionof ant manure may augment the host plants’acquisition of nitrogen. In this study, we quantifiedthe manure deposited by colonies of the Asianweaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. We developed amethod to estimate the amount of manure depositedin host trees (Mangifera indica) based on thetrail activity of O. smaragdina. The rate of manuredeposition was on average 62.3 kg dw ha-1 y-1, ofwhich 0.2 kg ha-1 y-1 was deposited as urea-N, anutrient that may be absorbed directly through theleaves, and 1.9 kg ha-1 y-1 was deposited as totalnitrogen. Furthermore, ants given access to sucrosesolution increased their rate of manure depositionsignificantly, suggesting that nectaries and/or trophobiontsmay play a major role in the productionof ant manure. This study reveals that O. smaragdinacan supply a significant amount of nitrogen totheir host plants. In light of their remarkableabundance, the manure deposition by ants mayhave a hitherto unappreciated impact on the allocationof nutrients within their ecosystem.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: