In a Belizean forest, Pseudomyrmex peperi acacia ants patrol their swollen thorn acacia. The plant houses and feeds colonies of these aggressive, stinging insects in exchange for the ants' services in removing vines and attacking herbivores. Cayó District, Belize.
A Pseudomyrmex peperi acacia ant patrols her tree in a Belizean forest. Cayó District, Belize.
Acacia ants 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.
