Ant protection of the nectaried fern Polypodium plebeium in central Mexico

Abstract

Nectaries on fronds of Polypodium spp. have been studied previously only in cultivated specimens. We conducted field observations in middle-elevation forests in Mexico and found five ant species associated with nectaries of Polypodium plebeium and P. lepidotrichum. To investigate whether nectaries promote protection against herbivores, we performed ant-exclusion experiments with nectary-bearing ferns (P. plebeium) and other ferns without nectaries (Polypodium plesiosorum, P. furfuraceum, and Phlebodium pseudoaureum). When ants were excluded from the developing fronds of Polypodium plebeium, damage from foliage-feeding sawfly and lepidopteran caterpillars was significantly greater than in control fronds. Ferns without nectaries did not show a difference in damage between ant-excluded and control fronds. Our results demonstrate that fern nectaries can support ant defense of the plant body as do the extrafloral nectaries of many angiosperms.