Datos de investigación
Potential role of ants as pollinators of agroecological crops in NW Patagonia, Argentina: Ant abundance and behavior, Visitors number, Pollen loads and Pollen germination
Publicador:
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Fecha de depósito:
28/01/2025
Fecha de recolección:
2021/2023
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Ants, often neglected as pollinators, can play a crucial role in the reproductive success of several plant species through direct and indirect effects on their pollination. However, studies on ant pollination in crops are very scarce and have not yet been reported for Argentina. Therefore, in this study we address the potential role of ants in the pollination of agroecological crops in NW Patagonia, based on the premises that ants will be good pollinators if their number of individuals visiting flowers is high, if during their floral visits they contact the floral reproductive structures and if they are able to transport viable pollen among flowers.
Métodos
To do this, we visited 25 orchards located in an area of ca. 7500 km2 in Northwestern Patagonia. We visited the orchards from September to March during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 spring and summer seasons. In crops where we find ants in their flowers, we evaluate: Ant abundance and behavior To record the number of individuals of each ant species visiting crop flowers and their behaviour during their visits we conducted ten periods of systematic observations per crop (census), ten minutes each, on at least ten randomly selected plants per crop, throughout one or two days (evenDate) (09:00 - 19:00 hours, period of time during which ants are active (time). During each observation, we counted (No.Individual) and identified (antSpecies) all ants that visited the flowers and classified them according to their behavior as follows (behavior): a) pollinators: ants that touched the reproductive structures while seeking food; b) nectar thieves: ants that did not touch the reproductive structures while seeking food; c) walkers: ants that walked on the flower but did not feed on or touch the reproductive structures; and f) EFN visitors: ants that walk on the flower to reach extrafloral nectaries (EFN). Legitimate visits To quantify the number of legitimate ant visits to crop flowers, we conducted six periods of systematic observations (census) per crop of five minutes each, on six randomly selected inflorescences, branches, or plants of each crop (crop). The observation periods were distributed throughout the day (9:00 - 6:00 hours, time) on four different days across the crop's flowering period (eventDate). During each observation period, we recorded the ant species (antSpecies), number of visited flowers for each ant species (No.Flowers) and number of visits where ants touched the flower's reproductive structures (No.Visits). Pollen loads To determine the number of pollen grains adhered to ant bodies (pollen loads), we captured 20 individuals (when possible) of each ant species (antSpecies) observed visiting the flowers of the crops (crop) at the moment they exited them, for each pair of ant-crop species combinations found in the field. Once captured, each individual was rubbed onto a fuchsine-dyed gel cube for remove the adhering pollen to its body. We then mounted the gel cubes on microscope slides (sample), which were taken to the laboratory for observation, identification and quantification of pollen grains (No.Pollen) under a microscope. Pollen germination To analyse the effect of ant body secretions on pollen germination, we exposed the pollen of each visited crop species (crop) to separate contact with 10 individual workers of each visiting ant species (antSpecies) for each pair of ant-crop species combinations found in the field. We collected freshly opened flowers (flower) from each crop and captured ants from each of the species that during systematic observation periods were observed visiting their flowers. In the laboratory, we placed pollen (by shaking the anthers) from the same flower in two 2 mL microcentrifuge tubes: a control tube (pollen without contact with ants), and a treatment tube containing a live ant inside to allow the pollen to come into contact with its body. After 30 minutes, we allowed the ants from the treatment tube to walk over a drop of pollen germination medium on a microscope slide to transfer pollen from their bodies (ant treatment), and we also transferred pollen from the control tube (control treatment) using a dissecting needle to another microscope slide with a drop of pollen germination medium. Both slides were immediately covered with coverslips to prevent desiccation. After incubating the microscope slides for a period of 48-h in darkness at room temperature (24°C), we counting the number of germinated pollen grains (germinatedPollen) (those which had pollen tubes longer than their diameter; and the number of non-germinated pollen grains (ungerminatedPollen) (those without pollen tubes) under a microscope at different magnifications depending on the crop species observed.
Alcance geográfico
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Identificador del recurso
Colecciones
Datos de Investigación(INIBIOMA)
Datos de Investigación de INST. DE INVEST.EN BIODIVERSIDAD Y MEDIOAMBIENTE
Datos de Investigación de INST. DE INVEST.EN BIODIVERSIDAD Y MEDIOAMBIENTE
Citación
Díaz, Marisa Andrea; Pirk, Gabriela Inés; Chalcoff, Vanina Ruth; (2025): Potential role of ants as pollinators of agroecological crops in NW Patagonia, Argentina: Ant abundance and behavior, Visitors number, Pollen loads and Pollen germination. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. (dataset). http://hdl.handle.net/11336/253236
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