The Ecology of a Keystone Seed Disperser, the Ant Rhytidoponera violacea

Dave Lubertazzi; Maria A. Aliberti Lubertazzi; Neil McCoy; Aaron D. Gove; Jonathan D. Majer; Robert R. Dunn

doi:10.1673/031.010.14118

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1 September 2010 The Ecology of a Keystone Seed Disperser, the Ant Rhytidoponera violacea

Dave Lubertazzi, Maria A. Aliberti Lubertazzi, Neil McCoy, Aaron D. Gove, Jonathan D. Majer, Robert R. Dunn

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J. of Insect Science, 10(158):1-15 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1673/031.010.14118

Abstract

Rhytidoponera violacea (Forel) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a keystone seed disperser in Kwongan heathl and habitats of southwestern Australia. Like many myrmecochorous ants, little is known about the basic biology of this species. In this study various aspects of the biology of R. violacea were examined and the researchers evaluated how these characteristics may influence seed dispersal. R. violacea nesting habits (relatively shallow nests), foraging behavior (scramble competitor and lax food selection criteria), and other life history characteristics complement their role as a mutualist that interacts with the seeds of many plant species.

This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.

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Dave Lubertazzi, Maria A. Aliberti Lubertazzi, Neil McCoy, Aaron D. Gove, Jonathan D. Majer, and Robert R. Dunn "The Ecology of a Keystone Seed Disperser, the Ant Rhytidoponera violacea," Journal of Insect Science 10(158), 1-15, (1 September 2010). https://doi.org/10.1673/031.010.14118

Received: 19 July 2009; Accepted: 1 March 2010; Published: 1 September 2010

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