Measuring ant-aphid mutualism with human disturbances.
dc.contributor.author | O'Donnell, Brienne | |
dc.coverage.spatial | UMBS UV Site | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2016-01-15T14:33:41Z | |
dc.date.available | 2016-01-15T14:33:41Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/116800 | |
dc.description | General Ecology | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | Ants and aphids have long been known to display a mutualistic relationship. However, not as much is known about how ant behavior changes with habituation of the ants to disturbances. We wanted to know if ants are used to being disturbed, how would they react differently to the predator or a disturbance, if at all. To test this we used the UV field at UMBS that has a plethora of milkweed, ants, and aphids. Our disturbed area was the first ten meters on the side of a road and the undisturbed area was the 10 meters following. We watched for five behaviors in the ants while acting as a pseudo-predator for three minutes and tallied these behaviors. We found that ants are more likely to ignore the predator the closer to the disturbed area that the ants are located. However, the ant-aphid mutualistic relationship has a broader applicability when considering monarch butterflies. Although ants protect the aphids, they also protect the plant. With the Midwest providing a home for so mnay monarchs, adding ants and aphids to milkweed plants across the Midwest could also protect the monarch and help restore their numbers to historic levels. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.relation.haspart | Graph | en_US |
dc.title | Measuring ant-aphid mutualism with human disturbances. | en_US |
dc.type | Working Paper | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Natural Resources and Environment | |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Science | |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | Biological Station, University of Michigan (UMBS) | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationumcampus | Ann Arbor | en_US |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116800/1/O'Donnell_Brienne_2015.pdf | |
dc.owningcollname | Biological Station, University of Michigan (UMBS) |
Files in this item
Remediation of Harmful Language
The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.
Accessibility
If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.