Fig 1.
Ants on Senna mexicana var. chapmanii (experimental plantation) plants in Homestead, FL.
Mean and standard error of numbers summed over the field season, over all plants, by treatment. Differences among treatments shown by Kruskal-Wallis for presence/absence data. Treatments abbreviated as C = control, TF = (tanglefoot) ant exclusion, NP = nail polish, NPC = nail polish control. Sample sizes of plants monitored were TF = 12, C = 15, NP = 12, and NPC = 11).
Table 1.
Arthropods associated with experimental Senna plants.
Fig 2.
Other potential predators on Senna mexicana var. chapmanii (experimental plantation) plants in Homestead, FL.
Mean and standard error of numbers summed over the field season, over all plants, by treatment. Differences among treatments shown by ANOVA for count data. Treatments and sample sizes the same as in Fig 1.
Fig 3.
Herbivores on Senna mexicana var. chapmanii (experimental plantation) plants in Homestead, FL.
Mean and standard error of numbers summed over the field season, over all plants, by treatment. Differences among treatments shown by ANOVA for count data. Treatments and sample sizes the same as in Figs 1 and 2.
Fig 4.
Pieridae (3rd instar or higher) collected from field-grown Senna mexicana var. chapmanii, and brought to lab for rearing.
Individuals, summed over the field season over all plants, are separated by species and treatment. n = number of plants monitored. Treatments and sample sizes of plants monitored the same as in Figs 1, 2 and 3. Pearson X23 = 25.5, p < 0.0001.
Fig 5.
Rates of parasitization, virus death, and adulthood reached by caterpillars by treatment.
Sample size is the number of caterpillars collected from plants (3rd instar and beyond) and reared from plants in each treatment group. Parasitized counts include both definitely and “maybe parasitized” individuals.
Fig 6.
Predators on Senna chapmannii plants—upper left, Polistes major wasp with Phoebis philea caterpillar; upper right, Polistes wasp damage to Phoebis sennae chrysalis; lower right, coccinelid Brachiacantha decora adult at extrafloral nectary; lower left, thomisid spider Misumenoides formosipes ready for prey.
Fig 7.
Some players in the tritrophic system—upper left, caterpillar of the orange-barred sulfur butterfly, Phoebis philea, on Senna chapmanii; upper right, pupa (chrysalis) of P. sennae; lower left, adult P. sennae; lower right: caterpillar studded with sucking flies (virus transmitters?).
When viruses are involved, the pupae do not hatch, but instead turn various colors.