A cluster of epiphytic Myrmecodia ant-plants in an Australian woodland. The swollen base of Myrmecodia is hollow, with an intricate gallery of chambers that house aggressive Philidris ants. The ants defend the plant and provide the plant with nutrients. Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia - Alex Wild Photography - Insect Photography

Plants and Ants

Images of interactions among ants and plants, two of the most dominant terrestrial organisms.

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A cluster of epiphytic Myrmecodia ant-plants in an Australian woodland. The swollen base of Myrmecodia is hollow, with an intricate gallery of chambers that house aggressive Philidris ants. The ants defend the plant and provide the plant with nutrients.

Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia

Philidris ants spill forth from a breach in their Myrmecodia host plant.

Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia

Philidris ants at the entrance to their nest in a Myrmecodia host plant.

Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia

Raspberry flowers provide nectar to attract flighted pollinators like bees and flies, but ants sometimes sneak in to steal the bounty. (Nylanderia bourbonica)

Orlando, Florida, USA

This African Acacia tree houses Tetraponera clypeata colonies inside hollow thorns.

St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

Tetraponera clypeata nest inside the hollow thorn of an Acacia tree. The elongate form of these ants allows them to maneuver in such cramped quarters.

St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

Pseudomyrmex spinicola workers harvest Beltian bodies on an Acacia tree. The tree and the ant are locked into relationship where the survival of both partners depends on the other. The ants provide the Acacia with protection from herbivores and from competing plants, while the tree provides the ants with food and shelter.

Chiriqui, Panama.

Pseudomyrmex peperi is an obligate Acacia inhabitant. Here, a worker gathers a lipid-rich Beltian body from a leaf tip. The plant feeds the ants in exchange for protection from herbivores and competing plants.

Armenia, Belize

A swollen-thorn Acacia without protective ants is quickly overrun with vines.

Armenia, Belize

A cluster of epiphytic Myrmecodia ant-plants in an Australian woodland. The swollen base of Myrmecodia is hollow, with an intricate gallery of chambers that house aggressive Philidris ants. The ants defend the plant and provide the plant with nutrients.

Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia

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Keywords: botany ecology mutualism tropical plants myrmecodia ant plant

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Plants and Ants

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