Temperature warming strengthens the mutualism between ghost ants and invasive mealybugs

Temperature warming strengthens the mutualism between ghost ants and invasive mealybugs

Although the exogenous forces that directly affect the mutualisms between ants and honeydew-producing hemipterans have been well documented, few studies have been focused on the impacts of environmental warming on ant-hemipteran interactions. Here, we investigated how temperature warming affects the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 959 - 10
Main Authors: Zhou, Aiming, Qu, Xiaobin, Shan, Lifan, Wang, Xin
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 19-04-2017
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects:
631/158/2178
631/601/1466
Coccoidea
Colonies
Environmental impact
Excretion
Growth rate
High temperature
Honeydew
Humanities and Social Sciences
Invasive insects
multidisciplinary
Mutualism
Parasitism
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Temperature effects
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Summary:Although the exogenous forces that directly affect the mutualisms between ants and honeydew-producing hemipterans have been well documented, few studies have been focused on the impacts of environmental warming on ant-hemipteran interactions. Here, we investigated how temperature warming affects the mutualism between ghost ant Tapinoma melanocephalum and invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis by experimental manipulation of temperature. We found that higher temperatures have significant direct effects on the growth rate of mealybug colony, and the positive effect of ant tending on mealybug colony growth is temperature-dependent. Honeydew excretion by mealybugs was affected by ant tending and temperature warming, and was significantly increased under higher temperature. The effect of ant tending on percentage parasitism was also influenced by temperature warming. Ant performance including tending level, aggression, activity, and honeydew consumption was enhanced by temperature warming, which may provide superior protection to the mealybugs. Our results show that ghost ant-mealybug mutualism is strengthened in a warmer environment. These findings may facilitate the prediction of how each partner in the ant-hemipteran-enemy interactions responds to increasing temperature.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-01137-0