TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fiala, Brigitte
A1  - Maschwitz, Ulrich
T1  - Food bodies and their significance for obligate ant-association in the tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaceae)
N2  - The production of extrafloral nectar and food bodies plays an important role in many tropical ant-plant mutualisms. In Malaysia, a close association exists between ants and some species of the pioneer tree genus Macaranga (Euphorbiaccac). Macaranga is a very diverse genus which exhibits all stages ofintcraction with ants, from facultative to obligatory associations. The ants nest inside the hollow inlcrnodes and reed mainly on food budies provided by the plants. Food body production had previously been reported only in myrrnecophytic Macaranga species, where it is usually coneentrated on protected parts or the plants such as recurved stipules. We found that non-myrmecophytic Macaranga species also produce food bodies on leaves and stems, where they are collected by a variety or ants. Levels of food body production differ between facultatively and obligatorily ant-associated species but also among the various non-myrmecophytes. This may he rdated to the degree of interaction with ants. Food body production starts at a younger age in the myrmccophytic species than in the transitional or non-myrmcccophytic Macaranga. Although food bodies of the non-inhabited Macaranga species are collected by a variety of ants, there is nu evidence of association with specific ant species. Our observations suggest that food bodies enhance the evolution of ant-plant interactions. Production of food bodies alone, however, does not appear to be the most important factor for the development of obligate myrmccopllytism in Macaranga.
KW  - Ant-plant interactions
KW  - evolution
KW  - food bodies
KW  - Macaranga
KW  - Malaysia
KW  - myrmrcophytism
Y1  - 1992
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-32921
ER  -