Forelius mccooki workers taking nectar from a Cholla cactus in the Sonoran desert. Cacti provide nectar to attract ants, as some ant species help the plant by removing herbivorous insects. Tucson, Arizona, USA - 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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Linepithema tsachila workers feed from the extrafloral nectary of an Inga tree.

Mindo, Ecuador

Some plant species attract ants with special nectar-producing glands. It is thought that ants help protect the plant from herbivorous pest insects, so the arrangement is beneficial for both ants and plants. Here, a Crematogaster cerasi forager feeds from a leaf nectary of an Ailanthus tree of paradise.

Champaign, Illinois, USA

Forelius mccooki workers taking nectar from a Cholla cactus in the Sonoran desert. Cacti provide nectar to attract ants, as some ant species help the plant by removing herbivorous insects.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Tetramorium bicarinatum workers gather nectar from glands of an invasive mallow. Some plants use nectar to attract ants as a defense against herbivorous insects, as ants also eat insect eggs and caterpillars.

Orlando, Florida, USA

Crematogaster opuntiae gathering nectar from a cholla cactus.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Prenolepis imparis gathering nectar.

Champaign, Illinois, USA

Formica incerta. Ants as earthbound creatures are not ideal pollinators, but they can carry pollen over short distances.

Champaign, Illinois, USA

An epiphytic Myrmecodia ant-plant in an Australian woodland. The swollen base of this plant is hollow, with an intricate gallery of chambers that house aggressive Philidris ants. The ants defend the plant (not very effectively in this case, judging from the holes in the leaves), and provide the plant with nutrients.

Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia

Forelius mccooki workers taking nectar from a Cholla cactus in the Sonoran desert. Cacti provide nectar to attract ants, as some ant species help the plant by removing herbivorous insects.

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Canon EOS 20D |

More details: exif |

Original size: 3124x2168 |

Current: 800x555 |

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Keywords: cactus ants insect cacti insects nectar hymenoptera ecology opuntia formicidae nectaries dolichoderinae worker ants thermophiles extrafloral nectaries ant plants desert ants forelius maccooki little orange ants

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Plants and Ants

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