Host-plant dissections reveal contrasting distributions of Crematogaster ants and their symbionts in two myrmecophytic Macaranga species

Here we compared two myrmecophytic systems, Macaranga trachyphylla with Crematogaster captiosa (Mt+Cc) and M. beccariana with C. decamera (Mb+Cd), using a fine-scale dissection of the stems. For the two plant species, for each internode we recorded both contents (ants, coccids, refuse piles) and structure (internode height, numbers of open and occluded ant holes)本研究对比了两种蚁植共生体系（myrmecophytic systems）：其一为粗脉血桐（Macaranga trachyphylla）与卡氏举腹蚁（Crematogaster captiosa）的共生组合（Mt+Cc），其二为贝氏血桐（M. beccariana）与十齿举腹蚁（C. decamera）的共生组合（Mb+Cd），实验过程中对植株茎秆实施了精细解剖。针对这两种植物，研究人员对每个节间（internode）均记录了其内含物（蚂蚁、介壳虫（coccids）、垃圾堆积物（refuse piles））与结构特征，具体涵盖节间高度、开放蚁洞及封闭蚁洞（occluded ant holes）的数量。