Evolution of extrafloral nectaries: heritability, natural selection and specialization in ant-plant interactions.

Abstract

This project follows from the doctoral thesis of Anselmo Nogueira, conducted between 2007 and 2011 (Ph.D. Fellowship FAPESP 07/54917-1 and Research Grant FAPESP 07/55433-8) in order to consolidate ecological and evolutionary studies of ant-plant-herbivores interactions in the tribe Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae). In this project, we expect to: (1) test whether extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) responsible for ant-plant interactions are inherited in two populations of a model species of Bignonieae (Anemopaegma album), and test the relationship between the quantitative variation of these secretory structures with plant performance (i.e., models of directional and stabilizing selection), (2) test the ecological network structure of ant-plant interactions and the degree of specialization of these interactions in an Amazonian forest community, in conjunction with field studies on the defensive role of EFN-ants against herbivores on different plant species; and (3) assess the status of our knowledge on ant-plant interactions mediated by EFNs through a quantitative/qualitative review of the studies that have directly tested the defensive hypothesis associated with EFNs and ants. All hypotheses will be tested using the phylogenetic framework produced by our research groups and using comparative phylogenetic methods.