Ant garden
An ant garden is a mutualistic interaction between certain species of arboreal ants and various epiphytic plants. It is a structure made in the tree canopy by the ants that is filled with debris and other organic matter in which epiphytes grow. The ants benefit from this arrangement by having a stable framework on which to build their nest while the plants benefit by obtaining nutrients from the soil and from the moisture retained there.[1]
Description
Epiphytes are common in
The ants harvest seeds from the epiphytic plants and deposit them in the carton material. The plants have evolved various traits to encourage ants to disperse their seeds by producing chemical attractants. Eleven unrelated epiphytes that grow in ant gardens have been found to contain methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen) and it seems likely that this compound is an ant attractant.[2]
Examples
Species of ant that make gardens include
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4987-1936-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1.
- ^ Chautems, Alain & Perret, Mathieu (2013). "Redefinition of the Neotropical Genera Codonanthe (Mart.) Hanst. and Codonanthopsis Mansf. (Gesneriaceae)" (PDF). Selbyana. 31 (2): 143–156. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- .
- .