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Myrmecotrophy is the ability of plants to obtain
Myrmecotrophy is the ability of plants to obtain nutrient
A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...
s from ant
Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
s, a form of mutualism
Mutualism may refer to:
* Mutualism (biology), positive interactions between species
* Mutualism (economic theory), associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
* Mutualism (movement), social movement promoting mutual organizations
* Mutualism model o ...
. Due to this behaviour the invasion of vegetation
Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...
into harsh environments is promoted.Narendra A and Kumar S. (2006) On Trail with Ants - A Handbook of the Ants of Peninsular India p53 The dead remains of insects thrown out by the ants are absorbed by the lenticular warts in myrmecophyte
Myrmecophytes (; literally "ant-plant") are plants that live in a mutualistic association with a colony of ants. There are over 100 different genera of myrmecophytes. These plants possess structural adaptations in the form of domatia where ants ...
s like ''Hydnophytum
''Hydnophytum'' is a genus of epiphytic myrmecophytes (ant plants) native to Southeast Asia, the Pacific region and also extending into Queensland in northern Australia. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''hydnon'' "tuber", and ''phyton' ...
'' and ''Myrmecodia
''Myrmecodia'' is a genus of Epiphyte, epiphytic plants, present in Indochina, Malesia, Papuasia, and Queensland, Australia. It is one of five ant-plant genera in the family Rubiaceae, the others being ''Anthorrhiza'', ''Hydnophytum'', ''Myrme ...
''.Janzen DH. (1974) Epiphytic Myrmecophytes in Sarawak: Mutualism Through the Feeding of Plants by Ants. ''Biotropica'' 6, 237–259 ''Myrmecodia'' uses its lenticular warts to suck nutrients from the insects thrown out by the ants. The ants in turn benefit with a secure location to form their colony. The pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants
known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of pitcher plant are considered to be "true" pitcher plants and are formed by specialized ...
''Nepenthes bicalcarata
''Nepenthes bicalcarata'' (; from Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now ...
'' obtains an estimated 42% of its total foliar nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...
from ant waste.Bazile, V., J.A. Moran, G. Le Moguédec, D.J. Marshall & L. Gaume (2012). A carnivorous plant fed by its ant symbiont: a unique multi-faceted nutritional mutualism. ''PLoS ONE'' 7(5): e36179.
References
Myrmecology Plant physiology {{ant-stub