caa a22 4500 606193359 CHVBK 20210128100909.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150501xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10682-014-9742-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10682-014-9742-7 The function of ant repellence by flowers: testing the "nectar protection” and "pollinator protection” hypotheses [Elektronische Daten] [Francisco Gonzálvez, J. Chen, Miguel Rodríguez-Gironés] According to the "nectar protection” and "pollinator protection” hypotheses, ant repellents in flowers have evolved to prevent ants from exploiting floral nectar and chasing away pollinators, respectively. We used weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina, to determine the strength of ant repellence in 32 bee-pollinated plant species and used the comparative method to test whether nectar production, size of pollinating bees and plant growth form were related to floral repellence. Flowers were more likely to repel ants if they offered nectar as a reward and were pollinated by small bees than if they were nectarless and pollinated by large bees. Furthermore, tree flowers were more likely than shrub or vine flowers to repel ants. Our results validate the pollinator protection hypothesis and the nectar protection hypothesis. Depending on the ecological context, therefore, ant repellents can function as direct or indirect exploitation barriers: they can prevent ants from removing nectar without effecting pollination (direct barriers) and, when flowers are pollinated by large bees, the absence of ant repellents—or even the presence of ant attractants—can result in ants chasing small ineffective pollinators away (indirect barriers). Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2014 Ant repellents nationallicence Nectar nationallicence Bee size nationallicence Plant growth form nationallicence Pollination nationallicence Gonzálvez Francisco Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, EEZA-CSIC, Ctra. de Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120, Almeria, Spain aut Chen J. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, 666303, Mengla, Yunnan, China aut Rodríguez-Gironés Miguel Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, EEZA-CSIC, Ctra. de Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120, Almeria, Spain aut Evolutionary Ecology Springer International Publishing 29/3(2015-05-01), 391-403 0269-7653 29:3<391 2015 29 10682 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-014-9742-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-014-9742-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gonzálvez Francisco Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, EEZA-CSIC, Ctra. de Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120, Almeria, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Chen J. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, 666303, Mengla, Yunnan, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Rodríguez-Gironés Miguel Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, EEZA-CSIC, Ctra. de Sacramento S/N, La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120, Almeria, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Evolutionary Ecology Springer International Publishing 29/3(2015-05-01), 391-403 0269-7653 29:3<391 2015 29 10682