Exploring Whether and How Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Affect Reproductive Fitness inSenna mexicanavar.chapmanii(Fabaceae)

Extrafloral nectar mediates food-for-protection mutualisms between plants and ants. Ant—plant mutualisms are keystone associations, occurring within a complex web of biotic interactions. As such, these interactions may affect plant fitness in a number of ways, both positive and negative. In Senna mexicana var. chapmanii (Isely) H. S. Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae), the presence of ants has been shown to reduce herbivory and increase fruit and seed...