• Sean Menke
• Lake Forest College
• Biology

• Students
• Elise Grossman
• Olivia Parrott
• Benjamin Wyatt
• Elisabeth Bacon
• Cortney Oates
• Schuyler Kogan
• Michael Penn
• Amanda Gibbs
• Alexis Rosanova
• Jeremy Boeing
• Gabriel Trujillo
• Nicole Vachter
• Jenifer Yost
• Kaya Cuper
• Emilee Gaulke
• Allison Hamel
• Natalia Wilkins
• Joshua Davendonis

Joshua Davendonis

RMBL intern 2009

Currently: Middle school science teacher at Coconut Creek, FL

Education: MA Teaching from Cornell University 2013, BA from Beloit College 2010

Thesis: Protection at a price: ant interactions with pollinators on aspen sunflower (Helianthella quinquenervis)

Abstract: The purpose of extrafloral nectar secretion in the aspen sunflower, Helianthella quinquenervis (Asteraceae), has been previously explained as mediating a number of facultative plant-ant mutualisms, through which the plant is protected from seed- parasitizing flies. The current study tested the hypothesis that extrafloral nectar production in the aspen sunflower maximizes ant protection from herbivores while minimizes their interactions with pollinators. Additionally, we were interested in the importance of ant community composition and how altering ant abundances would affect the relationship between ants, herbivores, and pollinators on the aspen sunflower. Despite a twofold increase in treatment-influenced ant abundance, we found that there was no effect of this on either herbivory or pollinator visits. This experimental evidence suggests that distraction, in addition to protection, may be a major reason for the existence of extrafloral nectar in this system.