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Yellow jackets may be an underestimated component of an ant-seed mutualism

January 1, 2003

Yellow jackets (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) are attracted to the typically ant-dispersed seeds of trilliums and will take seeds from ants in the genus Aphaenogaster. To determine if yellow jacket, Vespula maculifrons (Buysson), presence interferes with seed foraging by ants, we presented seeds of Trillium discolor Wray to three species (A. texana carolinensis Wheeler, Formica schaufussi Mayr, and Solenopsis invicta Buren) of seed-carrying ants in areas where vespids were present or excluded. We found that interspecific aggression between yellow jackets and ants is species specific. Vespid presence decreased average foraging time and increased foraging efficiency of two of the three ant species studied, a situation that might reflect competition for a limited food source. We also found that yellow jackets removed more seeds than ants, suggestive that vespids are important, albeit underestimated, components of ant-seed mutualisms.

Publication Year 2003
Title Yellow jackets may be an underestimated component of an ant-seed mutualism
DOI 10.1656/1528-7092(2003)002[0609:YJMBAU]2.0.CO;2
Authors M.T. Bale, J.A. Zettler, B.A. Robinson, T.P. Spira, Craig R. Allen
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Southeastern Naturalist
Index ID 70024710
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse