Data from: Effect of mutualist partner identity on plant demography

Mutualisms play a central role in the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Because many mutualisms have strong demographic effects, interspecific variation in partner quality could have important consequences for population dynamics. Nevertheless, few studies have quantified how a mutualist partner influences population growth rates, and still fewer have compared the demographic impacts of multiple partner species. We used integral projection models parameterized with three years of census data to compare the demographic effects of two ant species - Crematogaster laevis and Pheidole minutula - on populations of the Amazonian ant-plant Maieta guianensis. Estimated population growth rates were positive (i.e., λ>1) for all ant-plant combinations. However, populations with only Pheidole minutula had the highest asymptotic growth rate (λ=1.23), followed by those colonized by Crematogaster laevis (λ=1.16), and in which the partner ant alternated between C. laevis and P. minutula at least once during our study (λ=1.15). Our results indicate that the short-term superiority of a mutualist partner - in this system P. minutula is a better defender of plants against herbivores than C. laevis - can have long-term demographic consequences. Furthermore, the demographic effects of switching among alternative partners appear to be context-dependent, with no benefits to plants hosting C. laevis but a major cost of switching to plants hosting P. minutula. Our results underscore the importance of expanding the study of mutualisms beyond the study of pair-wise interactions to consider the demographic costs and benefits of interacting with different, and multiple, potential partners.互利共生（Mutualism）在生物多样性的起源与维持中发挥核心作用。由于多数互利共生关系具有显著的种群统计效应，伙伴质量的种间差异可能对种群动态产生重要影响。然而，鲜有研究量化互利共生伙伴对种群增长率的影响，且直接比较多种共生伙伴物种种群统计效应的研究更为稀缺。本研究采用基于三年种群普查数据参数化的积分投影模型（Integral Projection Model），对比了两种蚂蚁——平展举腹蚁（Crematogaster laevis）和细大头蚁（Pheidole minutula）——对亚马逊蚁栖植物圭亚那迈耶塔（Maieta guianensis）种群的种群统计效应。所有蚁植共生组合的种群增长率估计值均为正值（即λ>1）。不过，仅由细大头蚁定植的种群渐近增长率最高（λ=1.23），其次为仅被平展举腹蚁定植的种群（λ=1.16），而在本研究期间共生蚂蚁至少发生过一次物种交替的种群渐近增长率为1.15。本研究结果表明，共生伙伴的短期优势——在本研究体系中，细大头蚁对植物的植食动物防御能力优于平展举腹蚁——可产生长期的种群统计效应。此外，在不同共生伙伴间切换所带来的种群统计效应呈现情境依赖性：对于仅定植平展举腹蚁的植物而言，物种切换并未带来收益；而对于原本定植细大头蚁的植物，切换共生伙伴则会产生显著的种群统计代价。本研究结果强调，需将互利共生研究从传统的两两互作框架中拓展，以考量与多种不同潜在共生伙伴互动时的种群统计成本与收益，这一点具有重要意义。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集研究了互惠伙伴身份对植物种群统计的影响，聚焦于两种蚂蚁物种（Crematogaster laevis和Pheidole minutula）与亚马逊蚁植物Maieta guianensis的相互作用。通过三年普查数据和积分投影模型，分析不同蚂蚁伙伴对植物种群增长率的影响，发现Pheidole minutula伙伴的种群增长率最高。数据集包括蚁植物的位置、生长和繁殖数据，来自亚马逊热带森林的40个样地，适用于生态学和互惠关系研究。