Various animal taxa have specialized to living with social hosts. Depending on their level of specialization, these symbiotic animals are characterized by distinct behavioural, chemical, and morphological traits that enable close heterospecific interactions. Despite its functional importance, our understanding the feeding ecology hosts remains limited. We examined how host specialization silverfish co-habiting ants affects several components ecology. combined stable isotope profiling,...

Living in close association with other organisms has proven to be a widespread and successful strategy nature. Some communities are completely driven by symbiotic associations therefore, intimate relationships among the partners can expected. Here, we analyzed in‐depth food web of particularly rich community arthropods found strict European red wood ants ( Formica rufa group). We studied trophic links between different ant‐associated myrmecophiles sources associated host ant, but also tested...

Abstract Symbionts form intricate associations with their hosts. They can only establish when potential hosts are present, but in addition, distribution is often influenced by microhabitat preferences, which may not overlap those of This leads to a patchy local the symbiont, being present some and absent others. We studied this effect preferences on symbiont examining occurrence density obligately ant‐associated springtail Cyphoderus albinus Nicolet (Collembola: Paronellidae) across mosaic...

A host infected with multiple parasitic species provides a unique system to test evolutionary and ecological hypotheses. Different associated single are expected occupy different niches. This niche specialization can evolve from intraguild competition among parasites. However, also be structured directly by the when its defence strategy depends on parasite's potential impact. Then it that low or no tendency prey brood will elicit less aggression than severe able integrate better in system....

ABSTRACT Intimate associations between different species drive community composition across ecosystems. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of these symbiotic is challenging because their structure eventually determines stability resilience entire network. Here, we compiled a detailed database on naturally occurring ant–symbiont networks in Europe to identify factors that affect symbiont network topology. These host an unrivalled diversity macrosymbiotic associations,...

Abstract Food chain length provides key information on the flow of nutrients and energy in ecosystems. Variation food has primarily been explained by environmental drivers such as ecosystem size productivity. Most insights are obtained from theory or aquatic systems, but importance these remains largely untested terrestrial systems. We exploited red wood ant nests markedly differing natural experiments to quantify trophic structure their symbiont arthropod communities. Using stable isotopes,...

Abstract Throughout succession, communities undergo structural shifts, which can alter the relative abundances of species and how they interact. It is frequently asserted that these alterations beget stability, i.e. succession selects for better able to resist perturbations. Yet, whether network structure affect stability during in complex rarely studied natural ecosystems. Here, we explore attributes influence different successional stages a network: symbiotic arthropod forming food webs...

Abstract Background Species interactions may affect spatial dynamics when the movement of one species is determined by presence another one. The most direct species-dependence dispersal vectored, usually cross-kingdom, immobile parasites, diseases or seeds mobile animals. Joint movements should, however, not be vectored definition, as even are predicted to move together they tightly connected in symbiont communities. Methods We studied concerted a diverse and heterogeneous community...

Abstract The facultative endosymbionts H amiltonella defensa and R egiella insecticola are commonly found in aphids. They linked with various ecological benefits but generally occur at low prevalence, which indicates a possible harbouring cost. Little is known about how the presence of reflected honeydew composition. Honeydew key mediator mutualism between aphids their tending ants. present study examines whether have an influence on aphid quality by comparing amino acid carbohydrate...

Many parasites display complex strategies to evade host detection. The principal view is that the of social insects deceive their by means advanced chemical adaptations such as mimicking cuticular recognition cues, being chemically odorless, or emitting manipulative volatiles. Apart from these adaptations, may also use simpler behavioral As yet, a behavior has rarely been studied. Here we tested which and unspecialized parasitic rove beetle Thiasophila angulata uses avoid detection its...

Host range is a fundamental trait to understand the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of symbionts. Increasing host specificity expected be accompanied with specialization in different symbiont traits. We tested this specificity-specialization association large group 16 ant-associated silverfish species by linking their level degree behavioural integration into colony accuracy chemically imitating host's recognition system, i.e. cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile. As expected,...

1. The aphid Aphis fabae ( S copoli) is facultatively tended by L asius niger innaeus) ants. Previously, we found that A. colonies can be made up of several clones, and clones display significant differences in the composition their honeydew sugars, especially amount ant attractant sugar melezitose they produce. 2. These clonal could greatly impact strength mutualistic interaction with ants as well aphids' fitness. 3. Hence, aim this study was to compare fitness different differed secretion,...

Many symbionts live in association with different species. It can be expected that these distinct hosts might have a effect on key life-history traits of the associated symbionts. Here, we compared trait body size obligatorily ant-associated isopod Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii collected nests two types sympatric ant hosts. This species showed surprisingly large differences depending type host ant, head width females and males organic mound building red wood ants (RWAs) being, respectively,...