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ANT INHIBITION OF POLLEN FUNCTION: A POSSIBLE REASON WHY ANT POLLINATION IS RARE
Author(s) -
Beattie Andrew J.,
Turnbull Christine,
Knox R. B.,
Williams E. G.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1984.tb12527.x
Subject(s) - pollen , pollination , biology , brood , pollinator , botany , germination , ant , pollen source , ecology
Ant pollination systems are remarkably rare. We show that pollen exposed to ants for brief periods exhibits reduced viability, reduced percent germination, and shorter pollen tubes relative to control pollen. Pollination with ant‐borne pollen also results in lower seed‐set than pollination with untreated pollen. This disruption of pollination processes must have exerted a powerful selection pressure against the evolution ofant‐pollination systems. It is suggested that the nestbuilding and brood‐rearing habits of ants require that they secrete large amounts of antibiotics to combat pathogenic microorganisms. It is these secretions that disrupt pollen function. Bees and wasps exhibit very different nesting behavior, consequently there are no chemical barriers to their coevolving with flowers as pollinators.