Asking the pikas politely…
Many aphid species, on a wide variety of plants, are tended by ants. We tested whether the relationship between the ant species Formica obscuripes and an aphid species on rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) was a mutualism and, if so, whether it was obligate or facultative. Using a fully factorial design, we measured the response of aphid numbers to the presence and absence of ants and predators, resulting in four treatments. We found that the aphid numbers were lower in the presence of ants and about equal regardless of the presence or absence of predators. For two out of the three surveys, aphid numbers were highest in the absence of both ants and predators. In the absence of ants and the presence of predators, aphid numbers were intermediate. We conclude that there is no ant-aphid mutualism in this system.
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