Kulikowski, A.J. 2020 Ant–scale mutualism increases scale infestation, decreases folivory, and disrupts biological control in restored tropical forests. Biotropica 2020;00:1–8.
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Notes: This study explored whether a mutualism between a native but disturbance-adapted ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), and the recently recorded hemipteran scale insect Alecanochiton marquesi Hempel (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), interacts with landscape-level deforestation to affect the level of scale infestation and herbivory on the host plant Conostegia xalapensis (Bonpl.) D. Don ex DC. Specifically, A. marquesi scales were added to planted C. xalapensis tree seedlings in restored forests and either allowed or excluded ants to test the following hypotheses: (1) Scale abundance will be higher in ant-excluded versus ant-allowed treatments; (2) ant and scale abundance on seedlings will increase as surrounding forest cover decreases; (3) scale mortality due to fungal/parasitoid attack will increase as landscape forest cover increases; (4) herbivory will be higher on ant-excluded versus ant-allowed seedlings; and (5) overall seedling herbivory will increase as landscape forest cover increases.
