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Post by NellyDee on Jun 15, 2015 10:41:16 GMT
What is this ant? I know that ants harvest aphids, but these ants on borage seem to be feeding on nectar. there are no aphids on the plant. Are they feeding on the nectar?
 20150615_1 by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr |
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Post by alf1951 on Jun 16, 2015 6:22:12 GMT
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Post by NellyDee on Jun 16, 2015 8:07:40 GMT
Thanks alf. I went on to read another report and found this bit interesting - "This means that nectar composition is not completely controlled by the flower -- it is something created in cooperation with the ants that visit the flower," she notes. "We also think that these ant-transported yeasts might have the potential to affect plant reproduction.
Indeed, if a plant cannot control the sugar content of its nectar, then it may lose some of its target pollinators, which would potentially affect overall seed set and plant fitness.
Moreover, if introducing these yeasts to nectar changes the chemistry of the very components that serve to attract pollinators, then perhaps ants are indirectly changing the foraging behavior of subsequent flower visitors and thereby affecting seed dispersal patterns".
I have not noticed ants do this before and here it seems they are only on the borage. I had a look at others flowers that are in bloom and could not see ants on those. Will have to look up to see what the components of borage are.
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