More Ant Mutualism! (4347965436)

Autor/Urheber:

Maximilian Paradiz from Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Pseudomyrmex sp. and Acacia cornigera or collinsii mutualism Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

Today I went back to the thorn forest and found this other example of mutualism and co-evolution.

The thorns of this plant are hollow, and their sole purpose is to shelter this species of ants. The ants will chew on the thorns so that they can get inside, they will then colonize the whole plant, feed on the "Beltan bodies" (Which are found in the tips of each leaflet and are rich in lipids and proteins) and in change, they will protect the plant from any other organism, including other plants. Also, the ants will even destroy the seeds which are left around the tree, in order to reduce competition.

The thing that strikes me the most about this picture is the spider silk that you can see in the background. When I got home I did some research and found out that the vegetarian jumping spider "Bagheera kiplingi" lives in this plants, and tries to dodge the ants in order to feed on the Beltan bodies. Tomorrow I'll try to see if I can spot some of this spiders! Unfortunately, I did not try to today.

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More Ant Mutualism!

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