these chemicals for anti-herbivore defense varies according to plant age. Even if the

chemical defenses of C. alliodora do not contain nitrogen, other work has shown that N

fertilization can increase the production of carbon-based defenses (Mihaliak and Lincoln

1985, Wilkens et al. 1996). Relatively little is known of the secondary metabolites and

anti-herbivore chemical defenses produced by C. alliodora. Chen et al. (1983) described

several triterpenoid compounds isolated from the leaves of C. alliodora that repelled

leafcutter ants in experimental trials. Gomez et al. (1999) found lower terpenoids in the

leaves of a congener, Cordia curassavica, but did not find these compounds in C.

alliodora. Additionally, a number of secondary metabolic compounds have been isolated

from the bark and wood of C. alliodora, including some with fungicidal or insecticidal

properties (Moir and Thomson 1973, Stevens et al. 1973, Manners and Jurd 1977, closet et

al. 2000, Vanisree et al. 2002). However, it is unclear what role these chemicals or

related compounds may have in plant defense against leaf herbivores. Identifying

defensive chemicals from C. alliodora leaves, assessing their effects on herbivory, and

determining how their production varies with plant age and environmental factors are

critical areas of study for fully understanding the defensive strategy of this species.

 The evolution and maintenance of ant-plant mutualisms is dependent upon net

fitness benefits at the population level for both the ant and plant partners (Bronstein 1998,

Heil and McKey 2003). The primary benefit for the plants is usually protection from

herbivory, which often has negative short- and long-term fitness consequences (Marquis

1984, Ernest 1989, Doak 1992, Coley and Barone 1996). In this study, I found that the

ants reduced herbivore damage on the 5-yr-old plants but not on the 1-yr-old plants. The

increased nutrient availability marginally reduced herbivore damage overall but, at least