Mesquita-Neto José Neiva, Paiva Elder Antônio Sousa, Galetto Leonardo, Schlindwein Clemens
Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Centro de Investigación en Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile.
Front Plant Sci. 2020 May 21;11:627. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00627. eCollection 2020.
The specialised mutualism between and ants housed in its leaf domatia is a well-known example of myrmecophily. A pollination study on this species revealed that flowers in the bud stage exude a sugary solution that is collected by ants. Given the presence of this unexpected nectar secretion, we investigated how, where, and when floral buds of secret nectar and what function it serves. We studied a population of occurring in a swampy area in the Cerrado of Brazil by analyzing the chemical composition and secretion dynamics of the floral-bud nectar and the distribution and ultrastructure of secretory tissues. We also measured flower damage using ant-exclusion experiments. Floral bud nectar was secreted at the tip of the petals, which lack a typical glandular structure but possess distinctive mesophyll due to the presence of numerous calcium oxalate crystals. The nectar, the production of which ceased after flower opening, was composed mainly of sucrose and low amounts of glucose and fructose. Nectar was consumed by generalist ants and sporadically by stingless bees. Ant exclusion experiments resulted in significantly increased flower damage. The floral nectar of is produced during the bud stage. This bud-nectar has the extranuptial function of attracting generalist ants that reduce florivory. Pollen is the unique floral resource attracting pollinators during anthesis. , thus, establishes relationships with two functional groups of ant species: specialist ants acting against herbivory and generalist ants acting against florivory.
与栖息在其叶窝中的蚂蚁之间的特殊共生关系是蚁栖植物的一个著名例子。一项关于该物种的授粉研究表明，处于花蕾期的花朵会分泌一种含糖溶液，可供蚂蚁采集。鉴于这种意外的花蜜分泌现象的存在，我们研究了[物种名称]的花蕾在何时、何地以及如何分泌花蜜，以及花蜜具有何种功能。我们通过分析花蕾花蜜的化学成分和分泌动态、分泌组织的分布和超微结构，对巴西塞拉多沼泽地区的一个[物种名称]种群进行了研究。我们还通过蚂蚁排除实验来测量花朵的受损情况。花蕾花蜜在花瓣尖端分泌，花瓣缺乏典型的腺体结构，但由于存在大量草酸钙晶体而具有独特的叶肉组织。花蜜在花朵开放后停止分泌，其主要成分是蔗糖以及少量的葡萄糖和果糖。花蜜被多食性蚂蚁消耗，无刺蜂偶尔也会食用。蚂蚁排除实验导致花朵受损显著增加。[物种名称]的花蜜在花蕾期产生。这种花蕾花蜜具有吸引多食性蚂蚁的婚外功能，这些蚂蚁可减少食花行为。花粉是花期吸引传粉者的唯一花部资源。因此，[物种名称]与两类功能性蚂蚁建立了关系：一类是对抗食草行为的专性蚂蚁，另一类是对抗食花行为的多食性蚂蚁。
