Sambucus javanica is a perennial herb with extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) on its inflorescences. To explore the ecological functions of EFNs, a factorial combination experiment of ant (access or exclusion) and EFNs (with or without) at the plant level was created in two populations. The role of EFNs in the attraction of ants and flying pollinators, the defensive role of ants against foliar herbivores, the effects of ants on pollinator visitation and the effects of ant–pollinator interactions on fruit production in one or both populations were assessed. Ants were common on the ant‐access plants with EFNs, but absent from the ant‐access plants without EFNs. Foliar herbivory was independent of ant and EFN treatments and their interactions. The visitation frequency of flying pollinators (honeybees and syrphid flies) and fruit set were significantly higher for plants with EFNs than plants without EFNs, but were not affected by ant treatments or their interactions with EFN treatments. These results suggest that EFNs in S. javanica attracted both ants and flying pollinators, but ants did not present a defensive role against herbivores, did not deter flying pollinators from visiting inflorescences and had no effects on fruit production. In addition, ants were not significant pollen vectors.

中文翻译：

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花外蜜在爪哇接骨木花授粉和繁殖中的作用

接骨木是多年生草本，在其花序上有花外腺（EFN）。为了探索EFN的生态功能，在两个种群中进行了植物水平上的蚂蚁（获取或排除）和EFN（有或没有）的因子分解实验。评估了一种或两种种群中，EFNs在吸引蚂蚁和传粉媒介的过程中的作用，蚂蚁对叶面食草动物的防御作用，蚂蚁对传粉媒介访问的影响以及蚂蚁与传粉媒介相互作用对果实产量的影响。带有EFN的蚂蚁进入工厂中的蚂蚁很常见，但是没有EFN的蚂蚁进入工厂却没有蚂蚁。叶面食草植物不受蚂蚁和EFN处理及其相互作用的影响。具有EFN的植物的飞行传粉媒介（蜜蜂和蓝蝇果蝇）的探访频率和坐果率显着高于没有EFN的植物，但不受蚂蚁处理或它们与EFN处理的相互作用的影响。这些结果表明，爪哇沙门氏菌既吸引了蚂蚁，又吸引了飞行传粉者，但是蚂蚁对草食动物没有防御作用，也没有阻止飞行传粉者到访花序，并且对果实的生产没有影响。另外，蚂蚁不是重要的花粉载体。