Strategic behaviour in an interspecific mutualism: interactions between lycaenid larvae and ants
1993
Leimar, O. | Axen, A.H.
Interspecific mutualism often involves partners trading different services. If it is costly to provide a service, there is a conflict of interest, and mutualism cannot be evolutionarily stable unless partners react to each other's contributions. An individual might also be influenced by its need for the services offered, being more willing to contribute when the need is greater. In mutualistic interactions between lycaenid butterfly larvae and ants, the larvae secrete nutritious droplets from a specialized gland and, in return, the ants protect the larvae from attacks by parasitoids and predators. Here, two aspects of the interactions between larvae of the common blue, Polyommatus icarus, and ants were studied experimentally. First, larval reaction to ant attendance was investigated by giving varying numbers of ants, Lasius flavus, access to a larva. The amount of larval secretion increased with the level of ant attendance, but at high levels no further increase occurred. Second, the effect of variation in a larva's need for protection was studied in an experiment where ants, Tetramorium caespitum, had free access to a larva. Exposing the larva to a simulated attack resulted in increased secretion and increased ant attendance. The effect on secretion was stronger; the number of droplets per attending ant was higher after an attack, making the interaction more favourable for the ants.
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