Amazing Symbiosis: Ant Army Defends Tree | National Geographic

whenever a huge tree falls in the Costa
Rican rainforest a gap of sunlight is
formed in the canopy new life competes
for this light like this vine racing
this sapling upward but there’s one tree
that never has any competition thanks to
an incredible symbiotic relationship it
shares with an ant the swollen thorn
acacia and its namesake the acacia ant
have developed harmonious roles in each
other’s lives
the anthro is as protector if any of
those vines try to steal the acacia
slight the ants security guards go to
work a few good chops on the vine stems
and it lights out for the vine the ants
don’t stop there this relatively huge
grasshopper may think it’s gonna take a
few bites out of the non poisonous
acacia but the ants take a few bites out
of it instead
and they throw in a few stings for good
measure in exchange for all this
protection the tree takes on the
provider role it gives the insect
everything it needs in terms of food and
shelter these little nodules or
nectaries secrete a sweet nectar for the
adult ants to eat and these brownish
pods at the end of some leaves are the
perfect nutrient packed food for the
ants developing young called larvae the
acacia ant larvae live down hollowed out
thorns at the base of the acacia leaves
some will eventually grow into adults
with wings and will fly off to replicate
this evolutionary masterpiece in a new
acacia