The evolutionary ecology of bird–ant interactions: a pervasive but under-studied connection

Abstract

Birds and ants are among the most ubiquitous taxa co-occurring in terrestrial ecosystems, but how they mutually interact is almost unknown. Here, the main features of this neglected interaction are synthetized in a systematic literature review. Interaction with ants has been recorded in 1122 bird species (11.2% of extant species) belonging to 131 families widely distributed across the globe and the avian phylogeny. On the other hand, 47 genus of ants (14.4% of extant genus) belonging to eight subfamilies interact with birds. Interactions include competition, antagonism (either ant–bird mutual predation or parasitism) and living together commensally or mutualistically. Competition (48.9%) and antagonism (36.1%) were the most common reported interactions. The potential for engaging in commensalism and competition with ants has a phylogenetic structure in birds and was present in the birds' ancestor. Interaction is better studied in the tropics, in where the network is less dense and more nested than in temperate or arid biomes. This review demonstrates that ant–bird interactions are a pervasive phenomenon across ecological domains, playing a key role in ecosystem function. Future studies need to combine sensible experimentation within anthropogenic disturbance gradients in order to achieve a better understanding of this interaction.