The Relationship Between Colony Size of Pheidole bicornis, Piper sagittifolium and Damage from Galls and Folivory

Piper ant-plant mutualisms offer a variety of research opportunities for undergraduate researchers and professional researchers. For this research, I am correlating the number of ants in a myrmecophytic plant called a Piper ant-plant. Piper sagittifolium is facultative with the number of ants which protect the plant from damage induced on the plant by invertebrates. This study is relevant because it will determine if ant colony size affects the amount of folivory induced and gall count on each leaf and to estimate the time it takes for galls to form on the leaves of P. sagittifolium. Folivory and gall formations reduce the leaf surface area; this of course reduces the rate of P. sagittifolium ability to conduct photosynthesis. P. sagittifolium was taken from the field to the laboratory for a complete census of ants, ant predators, and herbivores. Initial photographs were taken and analyzed on Image J. A second picture was taken to compare the results, which contained high levels of folivory on plants that had a low average of Pheidole sp. Each leaf was analyzed on Image J to find the total area. These results show Ph. bicornis defenses are influenced by ant-predators (Dipoena sp. & Phyllobaenus sp.) and have an affect on the defensive efficiency Pheidole sp. presents on P. sagittifolium.