Browsing by Author "Priya Aradhya Ekka"

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A single lycaenid caterpillar gets an ant-constructed shelter and uninterrupted ant attendance
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2019) Priya Aradhya Ekka; Neelkamal Rastogi
Ant-lycaenid associations range from mutualism to parasitism and the caterpillars of some species of lycaenids are reported to enter ant nests for shelter, diapause, or pupation. The present study aimed to examine the nature of the association between Euchrysops cnejus (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) and Camponotus compressus (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) worker ants on the extrafloral nectary-bearing cowpea plant, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabaceae). The abundance patterns of the ants and the lycaenid caterpillars together with the spatial patrolling patterns of the ants on the plants revealed that ant abundance increased with the occurrence of the lycaenid caterpillars and the ants preferred the lycaenids over the extrafloral nectar. Camponotus compressus worker ants constructed a shelter at the cowpea plant base after interaction with one or more lycaenid caterpillar(s) and tended the caterpillars and pupae till the emergence of the butterfly. The ant-constructed shelters (ACSs) inhabited by the minor caste workers (13 ± 1.3 ants per ACS), were utilized by the caterpillars to undergo pupation. The ants confined their activities predominantly to tending the pod-feeding caterpillars and the solitary pupa within each ACS. It appears that the behavior of the tending worker ants is modulated by the lycaenid vulnerable stages. © 2019 The Netherlands Entomological Society
Facultative associations of two sympatric lycaenid butterflies with camponotus compressus – field study and larval surface ultrastructure
(Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, 2020) Priya Aradhya Ekka; Sudha Kumari; Neelkamal Rastogi
The present study focused on the associations of two sympatric lycaenid species, Chilades pandava Horsfield, 1829 and Euchrysops cnejus Fabricius, 1798 with their respective host plants and the lycaenid tending Camponotus compressus Fabricius, 1787 ants by conduction of field studies and by examination of the ultrastructure of the larval myrmecophilous organs. The study revealed two facultative association complexes: ants-the defoliating Cl. pandava larvae-Cycas revoluta (Thunb.) plants and ants-the pod-boring E. cnejus larvae-cowpea plant, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. The association of Cl. pandava was strongly synchronized with its host plant phenology and relatively less strongly with its late-arriving ant partner since the young, curled up leaves provided resources only to the caterpillars. The provision of resources to both the ants and the lycaenids by the cowpea plants contributed to the synchronization of E. cnejus association with the early arriving ants as well as the host plant. Presence of a single type of setae in Cl. pandava and of two types of setae in E. cnejus larvae indicates their facultative adaptations for resisting attack by their host ants. Ultrastructural similarity in the dorsal nectary, pore cupola and tentacle organs suggest that the basic myrmecophilous organs are conserved in these two lycaenid species. © PRIYA ARADHYA EKKA, SUDHA KUMARI AND NEELKAMAL RASTOGI.
Lycaenid-tending ants can contribute to fitness gain of the infested host plants by providing nutrients
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2020) Priya Aradhya Ekka; Neelkamal Rastogi; Hema Singh; Harikesh B. Singh; Shatrupa Ray
Ground-nesting ant species are known to promote plant growth by soil nutrient enhancement. Camponotus compressus ants regularly visit the extrafloral nectary-bearing, lycaenid-infested cowpea, Vigna unguiculata plants and construct a shelter for the lycaenid caterpillars at the plant base. The present study shows that ants may influence the overall fitness of the infested cowpea plants by providing nutrients via soil and foliar pathways. Total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous content of ant constructed shelter (ACS) soil of the lycaenid-harbouring plants were assessed, microbes from the ACS soil were isolated and their plant growth promotion ability was evaluated. Nitrate content of the ant faecal matter was estimated and overall plant fitness was assessed in terms of its growth and yield. The results revealed higher content of total C, N and P in the debris and chamber soil of ACS as compared to the control soil from the base of ant-excluded plants. The microbes isolated from the ACS and ant nest soil were found to possess plant growth promotion abilities. Ant faecal matter was found to contain substantial amount of nitrate. The ant-included, lycaenid-infested plants as well as those lacking the caterpillars demonstrated significantly higher number of pods, number of seeds per pod, root length, shoot length, plant height, number of leaves, plant fresh and dry weight as compared to the control plants. Lycaenid caterpillar tending ant species with a high propensity for visiting plants thus have the potential to increase plant fitness by increasing nutrient availability via multiple pathways. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V.
Satellite nest architecture and demography of the plant-visiting ant, camponotus compressus (Fabricius)
(Association for Advancement of Entomology, 2017) Priya Aradhya Ekka; Neelkamal Rastogi
In the present study the satellite nest architecture and demography of the common and widespread sugar-loving carpenter ant, Camponotus compressus, were determined. The nests were located in soft and moist soil. The dental plaster casts revealed that the vertically oriented satellite nests harbouring brood (42.8 ± 21.12) and worker ants (29.2 ± 8.94) were 51.2 ± 8.17 cm deep. The nests were characterised by the concentration of 4 ± 1.09 chambers, in the upper part of the nest and a single narrow shaft at the lower end. We suggest that the location of the nests chambers close to the nest exit/entrance hole may facilitate rapid communication among the C. compressus worker ants on discovery of extra floral-nectary bearing or homopteran-harbouring plants by a colony member. This study can lead to a better understanding of nest construction mechanisms and the effect of nest architecture on foraging behaviour and organization of an ant colony. © 2017 Association for Advancement of Entomology.