Ant at extra-floral nectary
| Title | Info |
|---|---|
| Common name | Ant; Ginger, Wild |
| Scientific name | Ectatomma; Costus |
| Taxonomic group | Formicidae; Costaceae |
| Source | Dan L. Perlman |
| Ecosystems | Forests |
| Forests | Tropical rainforest |
| Ecological interactions | Mutualism |
| Mutualism | Ants and plants |
| Selection and adaptations | Selection |
| Selection | Natural Selection |
| Behavior | Territorial |
| Organisms | Animals; Plants |
| Animals | Insects |
| Date | June 1990 - August 1990 |
| Location | Carara Biological Reserve,Costa Rica,North America |
Ant at extra-floral nectary, Costa Rica. Ants of many species engage in mutualisms with plants, protecting key plant parts in exchange for food. The mutualism shown here is between an Ectatomma ant and a wild ginger plant. The yellow stripe on the outside of this inflorescence is an extra-floral nectary, or a part of the plant that produces nectar that is not used in attracting pollinators. Ectatomma ants are rather territorial and aggressive and this one is defending her food source (note the drop of nectar in her mandibles). Many different species of ants could be involved in protecting plants of this species; this is not an obligate and tightly co-evolved mutualism such as the Azteca ant and Cecropia tree relationship.
