Yoko Inui

Canopy biology is the natural science that aimed at understanding of the biodiversity, biological processes, and ecological functions of forest canopies. Canopies determine the structural and energetic properties of forest ecosystems. Since the 1980s, canopy biology has progressed rapidly through the development of methods for accessing treetops. The rope climbing techniques used widely in canopy studies have developed from diverse procedures that allow human access to the top layers of forest vegetation. In comparison with other access hardware, e.g., cranes and gantries, rope assemblies have advantages in terms of user mobility, repeated access, and cost. The availability and safety of tree climbing techniques have improved with recent developments in mountain climbing gear and methodologies for their use. In this review, we use candidate studies to introduce the advantages, prospects and challenges of climbing techniques for tree canopy studies. Tree climbing allows excellent access to treetops in all types of forests, across all geographical locations. We expect further progress through combinations of rope climbing and other access methodologies. In the interests of safety and effectiveness, a platform should be developed for the distribution of relevant information to prospective tree climbing researchers and those who may wish to use the procedures for other activities, such as arboriculture.

Many plants have mutualistic relationships with ants, whereby plants provide food and/or nesting sites for the symbiotic ants, and in turn the ants protect the host plants by excluding herbivores. While the ants are useful as guards, they may negatively affect host reproduction by excluding pollinators. Here we studied this potential conflict in the myrmecophytic Macaranga winkleri pollinated by the thrips Dolichothrips fialae. Behavioural responses of ant guards to pollinator thrips and their chemicals, and related chemical analyses, provide evidence that thrips deter ant-guards by secreting droplets containing ant-repelling n-decanoic acid from their anuses. This is the first report of insect pollinators repelling their host's symbiotic guard ants to perform pollination. This is a novel strategy by which a plant host avoids interference with pollination by ant-guards in an ant-plant mutualism. The acquisition of a pollination system that is resistant to ant attacks may have facilitated the evolution of myrmecophytes in the genus Macaranga.