Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant Lasius niger: An Experimental Study

In order to understand the effects of the morphology and surface texture of flower stems in Smyrnium rotundifolium on the visiting frequency of generalist ants, we conducted experiments with Lasius niger ants running on dry wooden sticks mimicking different type...

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Autores principales:	Elena V. Gorb, Stanislav N. Gorb
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	calcium carbonate coverage cuffs cuticular folds epicuticular wax projections greasy pole syndrome slaked (hydrated) lime Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/93ac21a1486f476e8dc85e134c775c3d
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:93ac21a1486f476e8dc85e134c775c3d2021-11-25T17:59:54ZCombined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study10.3390/insects121110262075-4450https://doaj.org/article/93ac21a1486f476e8dc85e134c775c3d2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/11/1026https://doaj.org/toc/2075-4450In order to understand the effects of the morphology and surface texture of flower stems in <i>Smyrnium rotundifolium</i> on the visiting frequency of generalist ants, we conducted experiments with <i>Lasius niger</i> ants running on dry wooden sticks mimicking different types of stems: (1) intact (grooved) sticks; (2) sticks painted with slaked (hydrated) lime (calcium carbonate coverage) imitating plant epicuticular wax coverage; (3) intact sticks with smooth polyester plate-shaped cuffs imitating upper leaves; and (4) intact sticks bearing cuffs painted with slaked lime. Ants were attracted by the sweet sugar syrup droplets placed on a stick tip, and the number of ants visiting the drops was counted. Our data showed significant differences in the visiting frequencies between the different types of stem-mimicking samples. The number of recorded ants progressively decreased in the following order of samples: intact sticks—painted sticks—sticks with intact cuffs—sticks with painted cuffs. These results clearly demonstrated that micro/nanoscopic surface coverages and macroscopic physical barriers, especially if combined, have a negative impact on the attractiveness of stems to ants. This study provides further evidence for the hypothesis that having a diversity of plant stems in the field, generalist ants prefer substrates where their locomotion is less hindered by obstacles and/or surface slipperiness.Elena V. GorbStanislav N. GorbMDPI AGarticlecalcium carbonate coveragecuffscuticular foldsepicuticular wax projectionsgreasy pole syndromeslaked (hydrated) limeScienceQENInsects, Vol 12, Iss 1026, p 1026 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	calcium carbonate coverage cuffs cuticular folds epicuticular wax projections greasy pole syndrome slaked (hydrated) lime Science Q
spellingShingle	calcium carbonate coverage cuffs cuticular folds epicuticular wax projections greasy pole syndrome slaked (hydrated) lime Science Q Elena V. Gorb Stanislav N. Gorb Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study
description	In order to understand the effects of the morphology and surface texture of flower stems in <i>Smyrnium rotundifolium</i> on the visiting frequency of generalist ants, we conducted experiments with <i>Lasius niger</i> ants running on dry wooden sticks mimicking different types of stems: (1) intact (grooved) sticks; (2) sticks painted with slaked (hydrated) lime (calcium carbonate coverage) imitating plant epicuticular wax coverage; (3) intact sticks with smooth polyester plate-shaped cuffs imitating upper leaves; and (4) intact sticks bearing cuffs painted with slaked lime. Ants were attracted by the sweet sugar syrup droplets placed on a stick tip, and the number of ants visiting the drops was counted. Our data showed significant differences in the visiting frequencies between the different types of stem-mimicking samples. The number of recorded ants progressively decreased in the following order of samples: intact sticks—painted sticks—sticks with intact cuffs—sticks with painted cuffs. These results clearly demonstrated that micro/nanoscopic surface coverages and macroscopic physical barriers, especially if combined, have a negative impact on the attractiveness of stems to ants. This study provides further evidence for the hypothesis that having a diversity of plant stems in the field, generalist ants prefer substrates where their locomotion is less hindered by obstacles and/or surface slipperiness.
format	article
author	Elena V. Gorb Stanislav N. Gorb
author_facet	Elena V. Gorb Stanislav N. Gorb
author_sort	Elena V. Gorb
title	Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study
title_short	Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study
title_full	Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study
title_fullStr	Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study
title_full_unstemmed	Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study
title_sort	combined effect of different flower stem features on the visiting frequency of the generalist ant <i>lasius niger:</i> an experimental study
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/93ac21a1486f476e8dc85e134c775c3d
work_keys_str_mv	AT elenavgorb combinedeffectofdifferentflowerstemfeaturesonthevisitingfrequencyofthegeneralistantilasiusnigerianexperimentalstudy AT stanislavngorb combinedeffectofdifferentflowerstemfeaturesonthevisitingfrequencyofthegeneralistantilasiusnigerianexperimentalstudy
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Combined Effect of Different Flower Stem Features on the Visiting Frequency of the Generalist Ant <i>Lasius niger:</i> An Experimental Study

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