Abstract
Abstract The relevant studies which have been performed in, or close to, the Darling Botanical District of the South-West Botanical Province are reviewed.
The first investigations consider the role of ants attending the flowering spike of certain Banksia species and the flowering parts of Alyogyne hakeifolia. Ants, in both cases, are considered to play a protective role against herbivores.
The interaction of ants with the mealybug Pseudococcus macrozamiae on the cycad Macrozamia reidlei, and with the scale insect Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi on the succulent Carpobrotus edulis are also discussed. Ants are considered to be of negligible importance to the survival, reproduction and colonization of the mealybug, but appear to enhance the survival and growth of scale insect populations by preventing the formation of sooty mould on honeydew.
Various aspects of ant-seed interactions in the jarrah, Eucalyptus marginata, forests and woodlands are described. The ant species which are elaiosome collectors or general collectors or which utilize seeds in nest construction are described. The ant-seed interactions of the two species which stand out as the most significant seed takers in the northern jarrah forest, Rhytidoponera inornata and Melophorus sp.1 (A.N.I.C.) are considered in detail. Aspects described include dietary preferences, foraging and feeding phenology, vertical distribution of seeds in ant nests, influence of nest position on seed germination patterns and also the influence of shade on ant nest distribution. Some implications of these interactions for forest ecology are discussed.
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Majer, J.D. (1982). Ant-plant interactions in the Darling Botanical District of Western Australia. In: Buckley, R.C. (eds) Ant-plant interactions in Australia. Geobotany, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7994-9_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7994-9_6
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