CONTRIBUTION OF ASIAN WEAVER ANTS, OECOPHYLLA SMARAGDINA (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)) IN DELIVERING DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND FUNCTIONING IN CHANGING LANDSCAPE: A REVIEW
Main Article Content
Keywords
Predators, extrafloral nectaries, pollinators, trophobiont, productivity, pest, ecosystem services.
Abstract
Ants like weaver ants are among the most abundant arthropod taxa in various ecosystems and provide important ecosystem services. Ants are predators that cause various beneficial and harmful effects to terrestrial ecosystem including agro- ecosystems. Ants play important role in terms of seed dispersal, soil enhancement, scavenging of urban food waste, pest control along with mutualistic interactions. As predators feed on herbivorous pests, there is improvement of biological control that leads to increase in crop yield. But ants also attack and feed on predatory arthropods, key pollinators and crop plants that result in pest outbreaks and reduced flower formation and fruit setting. Among various ants, weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) act as major predators which control various economically-damaging pest insects of tropical fruit and nut crops. These ants hosts trophobiont honeydew producers particularly mealybugs, whiteflies, scale insects, aphids etc. which itself act as pests. Moreover, ants supplement their diet with sugars obtained from floral and extrafloral nectaries that bring about physiological cost to the plant. Experimental studies with various treatments using ants confirmed the effects of weaver ants on beneficial and pest insects and tree-crop productivity. Results confirmed that pest reduction is observed on cacao (Theobroma cacao), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), mango (Mangifera indica) trees etc. Oecophylla ants provided the valuable ecosystem service in regard to natural method of biological pest control in tropical tree crops. In South-East Asia, Oecophylla smaragdina plays a key role in shaping the ecological and evolutionary trajectories of plant–pollinator interactions. Oecophylla ants can co-exist well with other beneficial insects, enhance plant productivity along with other ecosystem services. Change in land use, urbanization and climate change affects various ecosystem services provided by theses ants.
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Feb 20, 2023
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Durlav Nr. Singha. (2023). CONTRIBUTION OF ASIAN WEAVER ANTS, OECOPHYLLA SMARAGDINA (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)) IN DELIVERING DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND FUNCTIONING IN CHANGING LANDSCAPE: A REVIEW. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 30(2), 1094-1104. https://doi.org/10.53555/067b2625
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Durlav Nr. Singha
Asst. Professor, Ecological & Biotech Lab, Dept. of Botany, Dakshin Kamrup College, Mirza-781125, Assam.
How to Cite
Durlav Nr. Singha. (2023). CONTRIBUTION OF ASIAN WEAVER ANTS, OECOPHYLLA SMARAGDINA (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)) IN DELIVERING DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND FUNCTIONING IN CHANGING LANDSCAPE: A REVIEW. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 30(2), 1094-1104. https://doi.org/10.53555/067b2625
