When attacked by predators, aphids secrete alarm pheromones that cause nearby aphids to disperse. Ant-associated (myrmecophilous) aphid species disperse less readily than nonmyrmecophilous species. The ant Formica subsericea responds to aphid alarm pheromone in a way that is beneficial to the aphid. These findings support our hypothesis that myrmecophilous aphids depend more on ants for protection from predators than on their own dispersive powers.
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Nault et al. (1976) studied this question.
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