Ants provide protection and nutrients to some plant species but are there downsides to this mutualistic relationship?
Tag - ant–plant interactions
William Salter
Slippery flowers help deter nectar-stealing ants
A wax crystal coating causes ants to slip off, while hornet and bee pollinators can fly right in.
Erin Zimmerman
Extrafloral nectar fuels ant life in deserts
Many ant–plant associations are mediated by extrafloral nectaries (EFNs): nectar-producing structures not related to pollination and commonly found on leaves and inflorescences. These sweet secretions represent a...
AoBPLANTS
Highlight on diversity, ecology and evolution of extrafloral nectaries
Plants in over 100 families bear extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), which secrete a carbohydrate-rich food that attracts ants and other arthropods. By fostering ecologically important protective mutualisms, EFNs play a...
botanyone
Highlight on diversity, ecology and evolution of extrafloral nectaries
Plants in over 100 families bear extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), which secrete a carbohydrate-rich food that attracts ants and other arthropods. By fostering ecologically important protective mutualisms, EFNs play a...
