Ants cannot account for interpopulation dispersal of the arillate pea Daviesia triflora.

Genetic Assignment Tests as Indices of Interpopulation Dispersal

We use Monte Carlo simulations to assess whether interpopulation dispersal rate might be inferred using a recently-described genetic “ assignment test” . The method assigns individuals to putative source populations based on the expected frequencies of their genotypes in those populations. Individuals whose genotypes are more likely in populations other than the one they are found in are said t...

Genetic signatures of interpopulation dispersal.

Macrodinychus mites as parasitoids of invasive ants: an overlooked parasitic association

Mites are frequent ant symbionts, yet the exact nature of their interactions with their hosts is poorly known. Generally, myrmecophilous mites show adaptations for dispersal through phoresis, but species that lack such an adaptation may have evolved unusual specialized relationships with their hosts. The immature stages of Macrodinychus multispinosus develop as ectoparasitoids of pupae of the i...

Assessing ant seed predation in threatened plants: a case study

Erodium paularense is a threatened plant species that is subject to seed predation by the granivorous ant Messor capitatus. In this paper we assessed the intensity and pattern of ant seed predation and looked for possible adaptive strategies at the seed and plant levels to cope with this predation. Seed predation was estimated in 1997 and 1998 at the population level by comparing total seed pro...

An automated method for large-scale monitoring of seed dispersal by ants

Myrmecochory is the process of seed dispersal by ants; however, it is highly challenging to study, mainly because of the small size of both partners and the comparatively large range of dispersal. The mutualistic interaction between ants and seeds involves the former retrieving diaspores, consuming their elaiosome (a nutrient-rich appendage), and the rejection of seeds from the nest. Here, we i...