News tagged with herbivorous ants

Bacterial gut symbionts are tightly linked with the evolution of herbivory in ants

Broadly speaking, ants have two different feeding strategies. A large proportion of all species are "carnivorous," meaning that they are generalist predators feeding on other small animals or scavenging on ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 01, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0




Search results for herbivorous ants


Predators hunt for a balanced diet

An international team of scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Oxford in the UK, University of Sydney (Australia), Aarhus University (Denmark) and Massey University (New Zealand) based their research ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 11, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

KU entomologist leads new drive to make 'dark data' available online to anyone

Caroline Chaboo regularly fields phone calls and emails from homeowners, gardeners and even U.S. customs officials who ask her to help identify bugs. The University of Kansas entomologist is a leading expert on beetles and ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 02, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Lollipops with side effects: Plant's sugary offering betrays caterpillars to predatory ants

Trichomes, hair-like projections on leaves, are part of a plant's defense against herbivores: they can be obstacles, traps, or reservoirs for toxic substances. The hairs of wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 25, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Leafcutter ant genome reveals secrets of fungus farming ways

Leafcutter ants, signature denizens of New World tropical forests, are unique in their ability to harvest fresh leaves to cultivate a nutrient-rich fungus as food.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Feb 10, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Ants' ecosystem role is 'key'

Research by the University of Exeter has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment as a result of their activity as 'ecosystem engineers' and predators.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 31, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Red light regulates nectar secretion

Flowering plants produce nectar to attract insect pollinators. Some plant species, such as Lima bean, also secrete nectar from so-called extrafloral nectaries to attract ants which in turn fend off herbivores. ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 27, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

The Joy of sets: For ants and trees, multiple partners are a boon

In the complex world of ant-plant partnerships, serial monogamy can help trees maximize their evolutionary fitness, a new University of Florida study shows.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 21, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Ants take on Goliath role in protecting trees in the savanna from elephants

(PhysOrg.com) -- Ants are not out of their weight class when defending trees from the appetite of nature's heavyweight, the African elephant, a new University of Florida study finds.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 02, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Plant hormone regulates nectar production

Rapeseed is one of the ten most important agricultural crops worldwide. In spring, the rapeseed fields with their bright yellow flowers are widely visible: this year winter rapeseed is being cultivated on ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 29, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Acacias use ants to guard flowers

(PhysOrg.com) -- Research by Dr Nigel Raine, Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at Royal Holloway, University of London has revealed how a special plant-ant relationship thrives on give and take for mutual ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 04, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


List of search results for herbivorous ants