| Description |
xiii, 331 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Series |
Interspecific interactions |
|
Interspecific interactions.
|
| Contents |
1. Ant-plant interactions -- 2. Antagonistic interactions : leaf-cutting and seed-harvesting ants -- 3. Mutualism from antagonism : ants as primary seed-dispersers -- 4. Mutualism from opportunism : ants as secondary seed-dispersers -- 5. Mutualism from antagonism : ants and flowers -- 6. Antagonism and mutualism : direct interactions -- 7. Antagonism and mutualism : indirect interactions -- 8. Nutrition of plants by ant mutualists : life history of ant-fed plants and ant-garden systems -- 9. Canopy-dwelling ants, plant and insect exudates, and ant mosaics -- 10. Variation in ant-plant interactions -- 11. Ant-plant interactions in agriculture -- 12. Overview and perspectives |
| Summary |
"Ants are probably the most dominant insect group on Earth, representing ten to fifteen percent of animal biomass in terrestrial ecosystems. Flowering plants, meanwhile, owe their evolutionary success to an array of interspecific interactions -- such as pollination, seed dispersal, and herbivory -- that have helped to shape their great diversity. The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-Plant Interactions brings together findings from the scientific literature on the coevolution of ants and plants to provide a better understanding of the unparalleled success of these two remarkable groups, of interspecific interactions in general, and ultimately of terrestrial biological communities. 'The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-Plant Interactions' synthesizes the dynamics of ant-plant interactions, including the sources of variation in their outcomes. Victor Rico-Gray and Paulo S. Oliveira capture both the emerging appreciation of the importance of these interactions within ecosystems and the developing approaches that place studies of these interactions into a broader ecological and evolutionary context. The collaboration of two internationally renowned scientists, 'The Ecology and Evolution of Ant-Plant Interactions' will become a standard reference for understanding the complex interactions between these two taxa." |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [253]-312) and index |
| Notes |
Print version record |
| Subject |
Ants -- Ecology.
|
|
Insect-plant relationships.
|
| Author |
Oliveira, Paulo S.
|
| LC no. |
2006036173 |
| ISBN |
0226713474 (alk. paper) |
|
0226713482 (paperback: alk. paper) |
|
9780226713472 (alk. paper) |
|
9780226713489 (paperback: alk. paper) |
|
