The leaves of C. alliodora are eaten by a number of insect herbivores including

lepidopteran and dipteran larvae, plant hoppers, scales and mealybugs, beetles and leaf-

cutter ants (Wheeler 1942, Flowers and Janzen 1997, Moser 2000, Tillberg 2004). The

high levels of herbivory and large number of insect herbivores on C. alliodora led

Wheeler (1942) to conclude that the ant occupants provided no substantive benefit for the

plant and, perhaps, were even parasites. However, behavioral studies, analysis of

herbivore damage and analyses using stable isotopes suggest that at least some of the ant

species attack and eat herbivorous insects (Moser 2000, Tillberg 2004).

 The objectives of this study are to describe patterns in ant occupation of C.

alliodora and examine the importance of ants and other factors in the anti-herbivore

defense of 1- and 5-yr-old plants. In the second chapter I present results from a survey of

ant occupation of C. alliodora and attempt to identify potential mechanisms of

coexistence. In the third chapter I describe the effects of plant age, fertilization and ant

occupancy on the level of insect herbivory sustained by C. alliodora plants and interpret

these results in light of plant defensive strategies. In the fourth chapter I integrate the

results of these studies and interpret their results with respect to the evolution and

maintenance of the Cordia-ant relationship.