Date: February 15, 2019
Source: Cell Press
Acacia trees
are a prominent feature of the East African savannah. They're also a classic
example of the long-standing and complex relationships between plants and
insects, in this case acacia ants. The acacias provide food in the form of
nectar and accommodation in hollow thorns for the ants. In return, the ants defend
the acacias against nibbling elephants, giraffes, or other animals that would
eat them.
Now,
researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on February 14
find that the ants are tipped off to the presence of herbivores by vibrations
that run throughout the trees when an animal gets too close or begins to chew.
As a result, the insects begin patrolling the acacia's branches more actively.
Remarkably, the researchers show, the ants don't react when the trees'
movements are caused only by the wind.
"The
vibrations that occur when a mammal plucks a leaf are so powerful that they
spread across the whole tree and are perceived by the ants," says Felix
Hager of Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. "As a result, the ants are
alerted within a fraction of a second and promptly orient toward the
attacker."
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