Figure 1.
A- Azteca alfari workers removing food bodies (arrow) from a Cecropia obtusa trichilium. B- Pseudocabima guianalis caterpillars occupying the upper part of a C. obtusa. They gnawed an entrance hole into the prostomata (p) in order to enter into the hollow internodes. Secreted strands of silk cover the trichilium and keep the withered stipules (DS) from falling. C- Trichilium of C. obtusa infested by Fusarium moniliforme. D- Penetration by a filament of F. moniliforme (arrows) inside a food body (FB). E–F. moniliforme spreading throughout a food body (FB and black arrows). The cells of the trichilium at the base of the FB seem to react to the presence of fungus (white arrow).
Figure 2.
Trichilium infested by Fusarium moniliforme.
Percentages of Cecropia obtusa saplings whose trichilia were attacked by Fusarium moniliforme in three situations: saplings sheltering an Azteca colony, saplings sheltering Pseudocabima guianalis caterpillars, and unoccupied saplings (N = number of saplings in each case). Statistical comparisons; Kruskal-Wallis test: H3610 = 338.1; P<0.001; Dunn's multiple comparison test, different letters indicate significant differences at P<0.001.
Figure 3.
Host successional patterns for Cecropia treelets.
Host successional patterns for each Cecropia sapling monitored during the 3-year survey on the dirt road near the Montagne des singes. Dashes correspond to trees sheltering both caterpillars and A. alfari. Trees were grouped to ensure the legibility of the figure, and so do not correspond to their geographic distribution.
Figure 4.
Comparison of the mean food body production per leaf and per day (±SE) by the youngest trichilia on Cecropia obtusa saplings during 20 successive days in three situations: saplings sheltering an Azteca alfari colony, saplings sheltering Pseudocabima guianalis caterpillars, and unoccupied saplings (10 individuals in each case). Statistical comparisons; repeated measures ANOVA: F230 = 64.81; P<0.001; Newman-Keuls' post-hoc test: different letters indicate significant differences at P<0.001.
Figure 5.
Mean height of trees (±SE) that sheltered colonies of one of the two Azteca species, Pseudocabima guianalis caterpillars, or that sheltered neither Azteca nor caterpillars during the experimental period. Statistical comparisons (normality and equal variance tests passed); ANOVA: F256 = 8.56; P<0.0001. Newman-Keuls' post-hoc test: different letters indicate significant differences at P<0.05.