Vaidya, C., & Vandermeer, J.H. 2021 Ant’s choice: The effect of nutrients on a key ant–hemipteran mutualism. Arthropod-Plant Interactions doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09833-5

Keywords:

ant association

Notes: That soil fertility has an indirect effect on community structure is well known, suggests that soil fertility may be important in determining the effect of mutualisms on the structure of the ecological communities in which they are embedded. Here we report on a laboratory study that specifically examines the direct connection between the behavior of a mutualist and nutritional properties of the soil. Ants preferred to tend C. viridis on high fertilized over medium and low fertilized plants.