Waiting for the snow to melt…
Extrafloral nectaries are commonly associated with protective mutualisms whereby the nectar-producing plant rewards predatory arthropod symbionts (commonly ants) in exchange for protection from herbivory. Boechera stricta, a self-pollinating perennial closely related to the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, is known to produce extrafloral nectar, but the benefit this conveys to the plant is not yet understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of plant investment in nectar production on ant recruitment using a synthetic nectar experiment. Synthetic nectar with varying levels of sucrose concentration was applied to post-flowering B. stricta plants, followed by observation of ant visitation. We then compared results of this experiment to pre-existing data on seed predator load and naturally occurring nectar volume in B. stricta. The goal of this research was to characterize aspects of the ant-B. stricta relationship; specifically by analyzing 1) how investment in extrafloral nectar alters ant visitation rates, and 2) how ant visitation, herbivory (seed predator load), and nectar volume influence one another at the population level. While we found evidence for a significant increase in ant visitation as a result of the addition of synthetic nectar, there was no difference in ant visitation to plants that received a high sucrose concentration (high investment) treatment compared to a low sucrose concentration (low investment) treatment. Furthermore, this study found no evidence for differentiating amounts of seed predation or naturally occurring nectar volume between B. stricta populations, meaning we are unable to define the relationship between these two response variables and ant visitation as of the completion of this study. This research nevertheless paves the way for future investigation into this study system; and provides evidence that variation in sucrose content in B. stricta extrafloral nectar does not significantly affect ant recruitment to the plant. Understanding the external factors that influence the fitness of B. stricta provides important knowledge for future research incorporating this model system.
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