“Ants: Monarchs of Symbiosis”

An ant checks out the scene from its home in an adapted-for-ants acacia tree thorn. Bullhorn acacias adapted thorns to grow large enough to house ants. If a vine or epiphyte tries to colonize, the ants sting its leaf nodes with formic acid until it dies. Image credit P.Ironside

Prabhupada, Mayapur, February 16, 1976: That intelligence I was explaining that, that even ant, a small ant, as soon as there is a drop of sugar juice, immediately, within a second, hundreds of ants will come: “Here is a drop of sugar juice.” This is nature’s study. This kind of buddhi-yoga or buddhi, intelligence, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex and how to defend, even in the ant there, this buddhi-yoga is there. That is not buddhi-yoga. To endeavor too much for the ahara-nidra-bhaya- maithunam ca, that is not considered buddhi. That buddhi, intelligence, is there even in the ant, a small ant. The real buddhi- yoga is how to be engaged in devotional service of the Lord. That is buddhi-yoga. More

Ants: Monarchs of Symbiosis

Morning-Earth.org: Ants are the dominant macro-animal on Earth. There are over 12,400 species we know. Ants are almost everywhere, and wherever they are, whatever their species, they live in an astonishing array of symbiotic associations. These relationships range from gut symbioses with bacteria, to herding aphids, farming fungus, to welcoming butterfly larvae into their nests and feeding them, to planting seeds for many kinds of plants. Some ant/caterpillar behavioral symbioses are elaborate: the ants herd the caterpillars, lead them to feeding areas (pastures) and bring them inside the nest (barn) for the night. The caterpillars secrete honeydew when the ants massage them.

Many ant symbioses look purely behavioral and not obligatory. But if a symbiosis goes on long enough–say millions of years–it tends to become required for survival. For example, Pheidole ants are only found on neotropical pepper plants.
Several kinds of plants have co-evolved symbioses with ants. They are called myrmecophytes, or ant-plants. Some are trees, some vines, some are shrubs. The ants receive foods–nectar for carbohydrates plus special foods made just for ants that provide fats and proteins. The ants also receive domatia, specialized housing grown by the plants to keep their protectors close by. An ant from Borneo, Camponotus schmitzi, lives and swims in a carnivorous pitcher plant. Pheidole ants from Central America live in stems of black pepper plants, where they eat plant-grown pearl bodies. Pseudomyrmex ants from Central America live inside hollow thorns on acacia trees. Some tropical ants, such as Azeteca ants, live in Cecropia trees and fiercely attack intruders. Ant attacks persuade herbivores to quickly leave or die. Full Article