Chemical defenses in the tree Ziziphus mistol against the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex striatus
Abstract
Ziziphus mistol Griseb. (Rhamnaceae) trees are avoided by the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex striatus Roger (Formicidae, Attini) in a semi-arid Chaco forest of Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina. In order to find out the chemical fraction responsible of ant rejection, we analyzed putative chemical defenses (tannins, phenolics and saponins) in young and mature leaves of Ziziphus mistol and carried out field bioassays to test both polar and non-polar leaf extracts for ant-repellence. We included into our bioassays two flavonoid compounds, namely quercetin and its glycoside rutin, which are common in Ziziphus mistol leaves, and commercial quebracho tannin. Condensed tannins and total phenols were significantly in higher concentrations in mature than in young leaves. We were unable to detect hydrolyzable tannins on both young and mature leaves. Saponins were only detected in young leaves. The non-polar extract was significantly repellent, whereas the polar extract was not significantly attractive. Tannin, quercetin and rutin did not exhibit significant attractiveness or repellence at the tested concentrations. Our results suggest that some unidentified constituent(s) of the non-polar fraction of the foliar extract, likely of terpenoid nature, accounts for the rejection of the entire Ziziphus mistol leaves by Acromyrmex striatus ants.
References
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BOWERS, MA & SD PORTER. 1981. Effect of foraging distance on water content of substrates harvested by Atta columbica (Guerin). Ecology 62:273-275.
CAPRON, MA & DF WIEMER. 1996. Piplaroxide, an antrepellent piperidine epoxide from Piper tuberculatum. J. Nat. Prod. 59:794-795.
COLEY, PD. 1983. Herbivory and defensive characteristics of tree species in a lowland tropical forest. Ecol. Monogr. 53:209-233.
COOPER-DRIVER, G; S FINCH; T SWAIN & E BERNAYS. 1977. Seasonal variation in secondary plant compounds in relation to the palatability of Pteridium aquilinum. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 5:177-184.
DEMENT, WA & HA MOONEY. 1974. Seasonal variation in the production of tannins and cyanogenetic glucosides in the Chaparral shrub Heteromeles arbutifolia. Oecologia 15:65-76.
FARJI BRENER, AG & J PROTOMASTRO. 1992. Patrones forrajeros de dos especies simp·tridas de hormigas cortadoras de hojas (Attini, Acromyrmex) en un bosque subtropical seco. Ecotrópicos 5:32-43.
FEBVAY, G & A KERMARREC. 1986. Prevention of feeding by Acromymerx octospinosus with antifeedants from yams. Pp. 247-259 in: CS Lofgren & RK Vander Meer (eds). Fire ants and leaf-cutting ants: biology and management. Westview, Boulder.
FEENY, PP. 1976. Plant apparency and chemical defense. Pp. 1-40 in: JW Wallace & RL Mansell (eds). Biochemical interaction between plants and insects. Plenum, New York.
FOLGARAIT, P; AG FARJI BRENER & J PROTOMASTRO. 1994. Influence of biotic, chemical and mechanical plant defenses on the foraging pattern of the leaf-cutter ant (Acromyrmex striatus) in a subtropical forest. EcologÌa Austral 4:11-17.
HAMMOND, GB; NC BAENZIGER & DF WIEMER. 1990. Dammara-20,25-dien-3β,24α-diol: a natural repellent of Acromyrmex octospinosus. Phytochemistry 29:783-785.
HARBORNE, JB. l985. Phenolics and plant defence. Pp. 393-408 in: CF Van Sumere & PJ Lea (eds). The biochemistry of plant phenolics. Annual Proceedings of the Phytochemical Society of Europe. Vol 25. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
HARBORNE, JB. l997. Introduction to ecological biochemistry. 4th edn. Academic Press, London.
HATCHER, PE. 1990. Seasonal and age-related variation in the needle quality of five conifer species. Oecologia 85:200-212.
HERMS, DA & WJ MATTSON. 1992. The dilemma of plants: to grow or defend. Q. Rev. Biol. 67:283-335.
HOWARD, JJ. 1987. Leafcutting ant diet selection: the role of nutrients, water, and secondary chemistry. Ecology 68:503-515.
HOWARD, JJ. 1988. Leafcutting ant diet selection: relative influence of leaf chemistry and physical features. Ecology 69:250-260.
HOWARD, JJ; JRJ CAZIN & DF WIEMER. 1988. Toxicity of terpenoid deterrents to the leafcutting ant Atta cephalotes and its mutualistic fungus. J. Chem. Ecol. 14:59-69.
HUBBELL, SP; JJ HOWARD & DF WIEMER. 1984. Chemical leaf repellency to an attine ant: seasonal distribution among potential host plant species. Ecology 65:1067-1076.
HUBBELL, SP & DF WIEMER. 1983. Host plant selection by an attine ant. Pp. 133-154 in: P Jaisson (ed.). Social insects in the tropics. Univ. of Paris Press, Paris.
HUBBELL, SP; DF WIEMER & A ADEJARE. 1983. An antifungal terpenoid defends a Neotropical tree (Hymenaea) against attack by fungus-growing ants (Atta). Oecologia 60:321-327.
HUBERT, TD & DF WIEMER. 1985. Ant-repellent terpenoids from Melampodium divaricatum. Phytochemistry 24:1197-1198.
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